


don't give up on me (please remind me who i really am)

by arsenalwings



Category: Glee
Genre: Canon Rewrite, M/M, but hence the sebastian pov are not viewed overly kindly, kurt and klaine are very important parts of this, sebastian POV, so i refrained from tagging them to save the kurt/klaine fans from having to read this!, tags will be updated as necessary!
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-07
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2020-08-11 06:34:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 48,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20149246
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arsenalwings/pseuds/arsenalwings
Summary: A reimagining of Glee, beginning from The First Time (3x05) onwards.Sebastian Smythe wonders what makes Blaine Anderson so important to Dalton, and remains clueless up until the moment he finally meets the Warblers' prodigal brother."...having the enemy perform with them is the worst idea the Warblers have ever had but Sebastian doesn’t mind so much. Not when it’s Blaine Anderson, at least."





	1. i got a feeling there's a miracle due

**Author's Note:**

> I’ve taken a lot of liberties with timelines and such. I can’t get too into them because spoilers, but I don’t think any of them are too hard to follow. This story picks up at the beginning of 3x05 (The First Time) which is placed mid-October. Don’t ask why McKinley’s student council hasn’t been elected yet (this will come into play again next year admittedly, I’m sure you can imagine why).
> 
> There are OCs included in this story, but none are explored in extensive depth, unless you count the Warblers/Blaine’s mother as OCs. The Warblers’ last names are all lifted from popular fan canon and I can’t tell you where I got their personalities from (especially with David/Jeff/Nick who are barely given character moments in the show let alone actual lines), but they’ve all definitely been influenced by the array of fanfiction I’ve been reading over the years.
> 
> This first chapter leans relatively heavy on canon (four scenes are basically lifted from the show word-for-word, even if I’ve expanded on two of them) but as the story progresses, this will happen less.
> 
> Chapters will vary in length, unfortunately. They will always be at least 5k, but I make no promises above that. Sorry, I know it’s annoying. I feel like I should also note that while this story is set against canon, every chapter isn’t necessarily a new episode - the next chapter includes both Mash-Off and I Kissed A Girl, for example. This will generally happen when Sebastian/the Warblers aren’t shown in an episode, because there’s only so much fluffing I can do. There are also intervals (read: summer) included.
> 
> This story isn’t necessarily intended to be Kurt-unfriendly, but since we’re seeing things through the perspective of Sebastian, it certainly comes across that way. This will be acknowledged at some point (Blaine’s not interested in villainizing Kurt so he’ll set things straight later), but do keep that in mind. There’s also definitely some Finn-unfriendliness ahead, but I don’t think it’s particularly cruel. It’s more just Sebastian being Sebastian.
> 
> Also this is a weird note but it completely slipped my mind that they eventually named Warbler Beatbox in the credits for 5x01, so I might’ve named another character Jon(athan). Help. Anyway, for the purpose of this fic let’s just pretend that Beatbox’s real name is James.
> 
> P.S: This was meant to be a one-shot. I have created a monster.
> 
> Happy Seblaine week!!!! :)

Sebastian’s pretty sure the sun shines directly out of Blaine Anderson’s asshole.

It’s the only explanation, honestly - even though Blaine literally ditched them at the beginning of the school year with no prior notice, the Warblers still sing his praises. Sebastian made the mistake of suggesting a P!nk song for an upcoming performance and Trent’s _ still _ crying about it. It’s ridiculous.

So he asks around about Blaine, tries to figure out who this kid used to be - and surprising a grand total of just about nobody, David and Thad are the most help. 

Maybe the sun doesn’t shine out of Anderson’s ass, but Sebastian knows that there’s something... _ different _ about this kid. David and Thad are the closest to disciplinarians the Warblers have (everyone tells him he would’ve loved Wes, but Sebastian really isn’t so sure) but even they seem head over heels for Blaine. 

They tell him that Blaine was a transfer student from a few years back, having to retake his freshman year. Sebastian tries to wheedle out why but neither of them seem to know and David makes it very clear that it’s none of their business.

He finds out other things, little things; Blaine was rooming with Wes. He liked bowties. Katy Perry, too. And P!nk. And musicals. And football. And polo. Blaine liked a lot of things, apparently. It seems exhausting.

But there’s only one thing he _ loves _ \- and this is the first time Sebastian has seen anyone _ not _ smile when talking about Blaine, he’s sure of it - and it’s another transfer student, Kurt. Blaine loved Kurt so much he transferred schools to be with him, abandoning his brothers in the process.

It’s all a little much, Sebastian tells them. Transferring schools for a boyfriend? To his gross little public school, to boot?

“He must have the dick of a _ God_.”

“Warbler Sebastian! You will refrain from that kind of-”

“Yeah, yeah, but you both know it’s true.”

_ -ss- _

Sebastian knows that first solos can be intimidating, seriously. He’s not totally heartless.

But holy _ shit _ is Duval getting on his last nerve today. _ Uptown Girl _ isn’t even a particularly taxing song - it sits comfortably within Nick’s natural range and they don’t even have a crazy dance routine set to go along with it. Hell, Sebastian and Thad have vocal breakouts too.

“_Nicholas_.” Sebastian grunts, leaning forward and poking Nick in the back, trying to be as quiet as possible so Mademoiselle Beaumont won’t notice him slacking. “If you keep going, you are going to vibrate _ out of your chair_.”

Nick- get this-_squeaks_, whipping his head around to look at Sebastian and definitely blowing his stealth operation. “I’m just _ nervous_, Smythe. Give me a break.”

“Boys,” Mademoiselle Beaumont says softly, resting a hand on Nick’s shoulder. “Is everything alright? There better be a good reason you’re not working on your essay, Monsieur Smythe.”

“I’m done, Mademoiselle.” Sebastian offers, holding his paper out for the teacher to check if she desires. She waves him off, still peering worriedly down at Nick. “Nick’s got his first solo this afternoon, I think he’s a little nervous. Do you mind if I take him to get some water?” 

“Of course.” She murmurs, giving Nick’s shoulder a squeeze. “Monsieur Duval, you’ll do wonderfully. Try to relax a little so you can work on your essay, yes?” 

Nick gives a jerking nod, shrugging off the teacher’s hand and standing up way too quickly, banging his knees into the table and sprinting out of the classroom before Sebastian even closes his workbook. Mademoiselle Beaumont squeezes his shoulder on his way out too, tells him he’s free to take as long as Nick needs.

Honestly, Sebastian thinks that Dalton’s clear favoritism of the Warblers is a serious problem but if it gets him out of class like this on a regular basis, he’s not about to start complaining. Maybe he’ll strongarm David and Thad into giving Nick more solos if he’s going to react like this every time. 

When Sebastian leaves the classroom, Nick’s only gotten as far as the next classroom over - he’s obviously slid down the wall and is now sitting on the ground, knees drawn up to his chest. An awful thought strikes Sebastian then, “Are you seriously having a panic attack?”

“No!” Nick says quickly, shaking his head. “I’m just _ nervous_. I know it seems stupid to _ you_, you’ve been swimming in solos since you joined the club, but... I’ve been in the Warblers for _ two _years and I’ve never had a solo before.”

“Because Blaine took them all?” Sebastian hazards a guess. He knows how most of the club feels about Anderson - usually somewhere around hero-worship, for the record - but he’s never gotten a clear read on Duval. He kind of really wants someone to have this undying hate for the kid. It’d make him seem more human.

“What? No. Jesus, he was my best friend.” _ Seriously? Holy shit. _ “I just- wasn’t ready, that’s what Wes always said. Why am I suddenly ready now? What changed?”

Sebastian thinks he knows - they were all so used to Anderson coming in and making them look amazing (and he more than succeeded, Sebastian’s seen the YouTube videos) that nobody else really worked at earning the soloist spot. He wants to tell Nick as much, but he doubts it’d help right now. Maybe he’ll bring it up to David later.

What he says instead is, “Because you’re older now, Duval. And we’re shaking things up this year, if you hadn’t noticed. We need to _ crush _ the New Directions at Regionals and we can’t do that if we just pull the same old tired routine. This is us testing you. Don’t let us down.” and then Sebastian offers a hand to help pull Nick to his feet.

It feels like a Moment.

Nick looks at his hand a moment too long before finally reaching out to take it.

_ -ss- _

_ Uptown Girl _ was meant to be a laidback performance. Thad was particularly forceful about it, wanting to keep Nick as comfortable as possible - Sebastian hadn’t seen any sense in arguing. They’re working on strengthening the team before Sectionals, and giving one of their better singers more confidence performing is definitely a great idea.

And then Blaine Anderson shows up.

And fuck, YouTube videos do not do this kid justice.

So Sebastian pulls Blaine in to perform with them and he dances along well enough, but he spends most of his time side-hugging various older members of the club. He looks _ happy _ and so do the other boys - Trent especially, and Sebastian definitely saw that crush from a mile away - and well, having the enemy perform with them is the worst idea the Warblers have ever had but Sebastian doesn’t mind so much. Not when it’s Blaine Anderson, at least.

After the performance, Blaine explains his sudden visit - more than half the club is visibly disappointed when he makes it clear he’s not transferring back anytime soon and it’d be hilarious if it wasn’t so pathetic. But he offers everyone tickets to William McKinley’s production of _ West Side Story _ \- where he’ll be rightfully portraying Tony, even if he seems a little shy about the fact. Sebastian’s the first to accept, grinning at Blaine as he says, “Once a Warbler, always a Warbler, right?”

And then the other boys start to disperse, heading to their other clubs or activities. Sebastian needs to get going too, he has lacrosse practice in twenty minutes but Blaine Anderson is right here and Sebastian… well, he’s not really sure why he sticks around.

“Blaine Anderson.” he says finally, already holding a hand out for Blaine to shake. The other boy does so after a beat, his grip firm despite his relaxed posture. _ Ah. Professional. _ “I’m Sebastian Smythe.”

“Hello,” Blaine greets. There’s something wary in his gaze, but he’s still smiling politely. “Are you a freshman?”

Sebastian snorts. “Do I _ look _ like a freshman?” He knows the game of playing dumb, has practically mastered it even at the young age of sixteen. Anderson isn’t _ anywhere _ near his level.

Blaine blinks harshly, stammering for a moment - it’s strange, Sebastian thinks. Everything he’s heard about this kid painted him as untouchable, but he seems so unsure of himself right now. He wonders what’s changed. “I mean... I know. Jeff mentioned you were a junior, is that right?”

“Guilty as charged.” Sebastian replies smoothly, flicking his gaze over to Sterling in the corner who’s watching them concernedly. “You are too, if the stories are to be believed.” He’ll deal with Jeff blabbing his personal details to the enemy later.

“Yes, I am.” and then Blaine seems to really register what Sebastian said, doing a sudden double take. “_Stories_? What stories?”

“Blaine, we both know you know what stories.” Sebastian says chidingly, grin wide. “But we can discuss it over coffee.” Because really, what competition is lacrosse practice when he has the Warblers’ former golden boy right in front of him?

_ -ss- _

“So, you’re a legend here at Dalton.”

It was surprisingly easy to convince Blaine to grab a coffee with him - Thad had mentioned that Blaine had a serious weakness for all things caffeinated but Sebastian thought he was joking.

Apparently not.

It’s kind of endearing, not that Sebastian will ever admit it.

“Oh. Well, I...” Blaine trails off, frowning despite the compliment.

Seriously - who the fuck is this guy? He looks like the Blaine from all those YouTube videos, if suddenly in devastating high definition but he seems so... _ small_. It doesn’t fit with anything Sebastian knows about Blaine Anderson, the Warblers’ prodigal brother. The Blaine he knew of never stopped smiling, carried himself with pride, was a true Dalton boy. There’s nothing particularly Dalton about this imposter. 

Maybe he’s just nervous. Sebastian does have that effect on people.

“Don’t be modest,” Sebastian scolds, though he’s careful to keep the grin on his face - he doesn’t want to come across too harshly, knows from just about everyone that Blaine doesn’t handle criticism or hostility too well. He does like compliments though, and Sebastian’s got one hell of a silver tongue. “Seriously, the guys talk about you all the time - I was like, _ I don’t know who this Blaine guy is but apparently he’s sex on a stick and sings like a dream._”

(Seriously, the YouTube videos did not warn him about that _ ass _.)

“So I was sorry that I missed him.” Blaine’s smiling at him now, hazel eyes glimmering in amusement. “Alright, so- since I’m looking to emulate your meteoric ascent, I need to know: why did you leave Dalton?”

Blaine’s smile falls at the question and Sebastian _ almost _ takes it back, but it’s something he’s been wondering since he first heard about Blaine. He’s seen photos of the boyfriend and he definitely doesn’t look like he’s got a big enough dick worth transferring schools for.

Instead of taking it back, Sebastian tries to take the sting out the question. “Were you bored of all the preppy boys?” _ Doubt it. _ “Or did you break too many hearts to stay?” _Nixon’s still holding a candle for you, so… maybe, actually. _

Blaine snorts, giving a shake of his head. “It- uh, it wasn’t like that. Definitely not.” Then he leans forward, casting a quick glance around the cafe. It’s mostly empty now, with most of the boarders working on homework in the library or still busy with various clubs. “Let’s just say... I miss Dalton every day but McKinley’s where my heart is.”

_ Holy shit. _ Sebastian knows Blaine is a hopeless romantic - he’s heard about the Gap Attack, thanks to David who still jokes about it all the time - but he hasn’t even known Kurt for a year. How the fuck can he claim Kurt’s his _ heart _?

But he doubts pressing the matter will win him any points with Blaine, so instead he changes the subject, telling Blaine about Nick’s nerves during the day. Blaine listens with rapt attention, offering ways to calm Nick down if it ever happens again (a hot chocolate will almost always do the trick but if it fails, find Jeff and let the two of them hug it out) and it’s nice, actually. 

Sebastian likes Dalton, don’t get him wrong. It’s a good school with challenging work and more than a few bi-curious boys milling around that Sebastian’s more than glad to help out, but he doesn’t really have any friends. David and Thad are definitely the closest he has, but they don’t talk about anything non Warblers-related (apart from Blaine, naturally). 

It’s not like he _ needs _ friends, he’s always been fairly independent. Had to be, if he was telling the truth. He loves his parents, but they’re busy people - his dad’s work isn’t even based in Ohio and his mom lives in France so he’s had to look after himself for the most part. He’s happy with his own company. But talking to people- to _ Blaine Anderson_\- reminds him that even he can get lonely sometimes. The revelation makes him uncomfortable.

In turn, Blaine tells him about his rehearsals for _ West Side Story _ \- his Maria seems temperamental at best, but Blaine is awfully fond of her. His director is a whole other problem, but Blaine swears that Artie’s just as stressed as the rest of them. When Sebastian asks if his boyfriend is involved, Blaine suddenly reverts back to that small boy from the beginning of the conversation.

“He’s playing Officer Krupke.” Blaine admits after a long beat, toying with the lid of his coffee. 

“That’s not a singing part, is it?” Sebastian asks, feeling somewhat surprised - he doesn’t know a whole lot about Kurt, but David and Thad swore that he had a lovely voice, if unconventional.

“No.” Blaine answers, shaking his head. “He auditioned for Tony. I auditioned for Bernardo, actually - well, I auditioned for just about everything _ but _ Tony.”

_ Well. _ Sebastian doesn’t know what the fuck he’s meant to do with that. He’s never seen Blaine perform in person, but he sure as hell seems like he’d be perfect for Tony - why the fuck would he not audition for the part?

“Kurt... he wanted to be Tony, really badly. He needed it for his college applications.” _ Typical public schooler, leaving college applications until the literal last minute. _ “It’s looking like he might lose the election for senior class president, so I thought I’d bow out of the Tony race and help him win the role.” 

There’s a whole lot of wrong in... well, all of that. But Sebastian’s no relationship-guru and no fucking way is he starting now. “How’d you end up as Tony then?”

“It’s a long story.” Blaine tries, but Sebastian shrugs back at him as if to say _ I’ve got time_. “His audition... it went great! Really, he was amazing. But he sung _ I’m The Greatest Star _-”

“From _ Funny Girl _? Seriously?”

“Stop it.” Blaine scolds. “But he was _ seriously _ great, you should’ve seen it! It just... I don’t know, I don’t think it was the best choice. He should’ve done _ Somewhere _ or at least something from _ West Side Story_. I love our casting directors- Miss. P and Coach Beiste are my favorite faculty at McKinley and Artie’s my friend, but they’re not old hands at this sort of thing. They see Kurt performing that song and they don’t see him as Tony, they see him as Fanny Brice. And his acting audition… it was a trainwreck. Rachel- my Maria, remember- she’s known Kurt for years, I think she struggled doing a dramatic scene with him.”

“Okay, so that’s Kurt explained. What about you?”

Blaine takes a sip from his long-cold coffee before answering, “I auditioned with _ Something’s Coming_. I know what you’re going to say- auditioning with a Tony song was a serious mistake, but it’s my favorite _ West Side Story _ song. And it went great! I thought I’d have Bernardo on lock, since I knew Mike Chang was definitely gonna be our Riff. But then they asked me to read for Tony and…”

Blaine hesitates for a moment, torn between looking proud and ashamed. Sebastian wishes he wouldn’t. Even if Blaine’s an upperclassman, a junior being asked to read for the lead in a school musical is still a huge deal. At least it is at Dalton, he imagines McKinley’s more lacking in the talent department. “I said yes, of course. It’d be rude to say no. And it... it went wonderfully. I was so happy, you know? Adjusting to McKinley, it’s been harder than I expected. I’m so glad to be with Kurt every day, I just miss Dalton so much. But up on stage, all of that fades away.”

Of all the things Sebastian was expecting from this conversation, this wasn’t even on his top ten. He didn’t _ want _ to relate to Blaine Anderson, but here he is. He misses France so deeply that it aches, sometimes. He _ likes _ Dalton, likes it a lot more than anywhere else his dad could’ve stuck him in Ohio but France is home. He’s found ways to distract himself, namely taking clueless prep school boys into various closets around the school and claiming their innocence, but performing works too.

He’s not sure where to go from here, though. This is far more deeper than he’s comfortable with, so he feigns checking his phone and heaves a huge sigh, looking up at Blaine. “I have to go. Lacrosse practice. But... could we meet again? I could really use more insights from you, Blaine.” He pauses, tilting his head thoughtfully. “You know, Warbler to Warbler.” 

Blaine stares at him a moment too long, before giving his head a quick shake. Sebastian tries his hardest not to smirk. “Of- of course, Sebastian.”

_ -ss- _

**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ hey, killer. grabbed your number from david. i know you’re busy with rehearsal, but let me know if you have any free time. would love to see you before the show. -sebastian _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer** **  
** _ Killer? That’s... interesting. _  
_ I’m free tomorrow night after your Warblers practice, if you’re available? _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ definitely available. lima bean sound good? _

_ -ss- _

Sebastian probably should’ve known it wouldn’t take long for the other Warblers to figure out he’s spending time with Blaine, but he was expecting he’d get at least three coffee dates before the interrogations started.

As it is, Trent Nixon of all people is his interrogator so Sebastian supposes he got off extremely easy this time. It won’t be long until David and Thad catch wind of everything and he’s sure Thad will find a way to start screaming about it in the middle of practice one day.

But Trent’s about as intimidating as a puppy dog, so when he sits down across from Sebastian in the library looking as angry as he probably can, Sebastian kind of wants to laugh at him. He’s really trying to get all the upperclassmen on his side though, so he settles for an amused smile, closing his Algebra textbook. “What’s up, sunshine?”

One time Jeff had jokingly said _ Trent’s the sunshine of the club! _ and practically everyone agreed, so naturally Sebastian found a way to turn it into a nickname. Trent’s always torn between being flattered and annoyed, but today his face flushes a bright red and Sebastian’s almost surprised to note that today it just makes him _ angry_. That’s new.

“Blaine told me you invited him to the Lima Bean!” Trent hisses, leaning over the table and getting way too far into Sebastian’s personal space. “You _ hate _ the Lima Bean!”

“Okay, I don’t hate it.” Sebastian protests. “I just said that because I didn’t want to go with you and Sterling. You two on caffeine sounds like a recipe for disaster, especially since Duval was too busy to go.”

Trent tries to glare suspiciously at him, but Sebastian thinks he just looks constipated. _ God_, prep schoolers. “Why are you going with _ Blaine_, though?”

“Just trying to see what has you all so crazy in love with him, Nixon. Especially you.” Sebastian remarks innocently, though he definitely can’t conceal his smirk this time. “I _ must _ say, I’m a little offended none of you thought to mention his ass. That thing is insane. What I wouldn’t give to bury my-”

“Smythe!” the librarian barks, slamming her hand down on the table beside him. Trent practically jumps out of his seat at the interruption, but Sebastian just lazily looks up at the woman. “_Quiet_. Nixon, if you’re not here to work you’re to leave, understand?”

Trent, still red-faced and looking extremely abashed, quickly stands up to leave but Sebastian reaches out to grip his arm and keep him in place. “Sorry, Mrs. H. We’ll get going. See you tomorrow.” 

“Be ready to work.” Haynes says firmly before continuing on her reign of terror around the library. She’s vaguely horrible the way all librarians seem to be, but Sebastian kind of loves her anyway. She makes sure it’s quiet enough for him to work and he also gets a free show when she kicks out obnoxious kids who think they’re above her rules. Bless her.

Sebastian leads Trent out of the library and towards the commons - he _ hates _ the commons, but at least they’ll be able to talk there - and Trent follows dutifully, asking a few follow-up questions to the whole Blaine thing on the way but not seeming too upset when Sebastian doesn’t answer.

When they’re settled away from the tennis club (who are maybe the most obnoxious of any of the sporting teams at Dalton, to Sebastian’s endless surprise), Sebastian finally answers Trent’s first question. “I’m going out with Blaine because I want to get to know him, sunshine. That a problem?” He’s not even technically lying, not really- he _ does _ want to get to know Blaine, but more in the _ let’s get horizontal _ way and not the _ let’s be best friends forever _ way. Blaine seems to have enough of those already.

Trent actually succeeds in looking suspicious now, though Sebastian thinks the whole thing would be a lot more effective if he got anyone else’s help instead. Well, maybe not Jeff. “You don’t want to get to know _ anyone_, Sebastian. He has a boyfriend!”

Oh, yes. Kurt.

After coffee last night with Blaine, Sebastian returned to his dorm and dug up all the dirt he possibly could on everyone Blaine mentioned - and hit the jackpot because apparently, McKinley has a burgeoning gossip blogger that’s near-obsessed with the glee club. Or just Rachel Berry, Sebastian’s not sure. Nor does he care, he got all the information he wanted regardless of where Jacob Ben-Israeli’s creepy obsession lies.

Kurt came up more than a few times and Sebastian must say, he’s _ really _ not impressed. Sure, his voice is great but he doesn’t know how to use it - and he doesn’t seem to have a whole lot else to offer. Sebastian was already pretty suspicious of him after Thad mentioned he transferred right back to McKinley the week after the Warblers lost at Regionals but _ fuck_, he was expecting something special of the guy who made Blaine Anderson his personal doormat.

Instead, it’s Kurt Hummel. 

Seriously, this guy has to be packing some _ major _ heat.

“I know about Kurt, sunshine.” Sebastian says with a roll of his eyes. “I’m not about to be the other man, don’t worry. I have more self-respect than that.”

“No, you don’t.”

“You’re right, I don’t.”

_ -ss- _

“I can’t believe you asked for a shot of Courvoisier in your coffee.”

“I forget how lame this town is.” Sebastian remarks as they sit down at a table, smirking over at Blaine. “When I lived in Paris, I drank it like it was mother’s milk.”

“When you lived in Paris? I- okay, _ wow_.” Blaine murmurs, looking stunned. Sebastian knows for a fact that Blaine already knew he’d lived in France, but he supposes nobody told him about Paris. It’s nice to know he can still surprise Blaine if he wants to.

“What?” Sebastian presses, his grin threatening to split his face in half. 

Blaine looks at Sebastian with wide eyes, giving a slow shake of his head. “You’re just… you know, you’re so _ out there_.”

Sebastian wonders if Blaine means that as a compliment. Sebastian’s certainly going to take it as one anyway, since Blaine’s current love life is currently the blandest of the bland.

His eyes dart down to Blaine’s coffee order, which is clutched tightly in Blaine’s hands - a medium drip with a light sprinkling of cinnamon. Sebastian’s certainly not the type to read too much into someone’s coffee order (that seems more of a Jeff thing, maybe Trent too) but... yes, he’s sure Blaine means _ out there _ as a compliment.

“Maybe. But your whole bashful schoolboy thing? _ Super hot_.” 

Sebastian knows he’s gone at least ten steps too far when the smile freezes on Blaine’s face but he can’t quite bring himself to care. As much as he brushed off Trent during free period today, he knows he needs to put all his cards on the table for Blaine. The kid is way too naive to pick up on Sebastian’s flirting otherwise and no fucking _ way _ is Sebastian going to be Blaine Anderson’s newest best friend. 

“Look, Sebastian,” Blaine says softly, obviously trying not to hurt Sebastian’s non-existent feelings. “I have a boyfriend.”

“Doesn’t bother me if it doesn’t bother you.”

“N- _ no_.” Blaine stammers, putting his coffee cup down and looking straight at Sebastian. Despite everything, Sebastian almost admires him for it - most people would draw back now, but not Blaine. “I mean, I really care about him.”

“He doesn’t need to know.” Sebastian volleys back, but something catches his attention from the corner of his eye. He glances over Blaine’s shoulder and sees one Kurt Hummel lurking, staring worriedly at Blaine’s back. Sebastian wants to wink at him, but he’s worried that would draw Blaine’s attention and he’s really hoping that Kurt will just leave them be.

“I never want to mess my thing up with him in any way. He’s just really great.” Blaine asserts and Sebastian wants to snark back- _ who calls their boyfriend great? Lame. _ but Kurt’s making his way over to the table and Sebastian’s definitely saving his wit for Lady Hummel. 

(Seriously, Sebastian knew he was pretty effeminate already and it’s not like he has a problem with that, but seeing Kurt in real life turns the lady factor up to 12.)

“Who’s really great?” Hummel asks abruptly and Blaine almost jumps out of his seat in fright before twisting around to greet his boyfriend.

“You! We were just talking about you!” Blaine answers, his little head whipping between Kurt and Sebastian at record speed. The two of them are already locked in a staring battle, but if Kurt’s trying to look intimidating, Sebastian’s definitely going to laugh at him. “Sebastian, this is Kurt. My boyfriend who I was just...”

“Got it.” Sebastian interrupts, trying to put an end to Blaine’s stammers. Kurt offers a hand for Sebastian to shake and he does so, but not without noting how Kurt still hasn’t said _ hello _ to Blaine. He’s pretty sure boyfriends are supposed to greet each other. Right? Jeez.

Kurt’s handshake is as limp as a flaccid dick which isn’t really all that surprising but it’s still downright unpleasant. 

“Pleasure.” Hummel says after a moment, withdrawing his hand and looking away from Sebastian. “And how do we know Sebastian?” he asks Blaine, which- _ shit_, even Sebastian thinks this is rude. At least he held the door open for Blaine when they got here. Mostly because he wanted a chance to stare at his ass unnoticed, but he still _ did it_. 

Blaine looks troubled at the question, staring at Sebastian helplessly and- _ fuck _ , why does he even care? It’s the puppy dog eyes. Those things should be illegal. “We met at Dalton.” he provides smoothly. “I was _ dying _ to meet Blaine. Those Warblers, they just won’t shut up about him. I didn’t think he could live up to the hype but as it turns out...” Blaine barks out a single laugh, looking down at the table. _ God_, what is this kid’s issue with taking compliments?

Sebastian chances a small look up at Kurt, who’s staring down at Blaine with some form of annoyance and it all clicks. Kurt’s _ jealous_. Holy shit. _ Holy shit. _ That’s hilarious.

“Yes,” Kurt hums, all annoyance disappearing from his face as quickly as it appeared. “He’s even more impressive in the flesh!” He drags over a chair from a nearby table and sits down as close to Blaine as is possible without sitting in his lap. Kurt hooks his hand around Blaine’s arm and honestly, it’s so fucking funny that Sebastian’s struggling not to laugh. He does allow himself an amused smile though, he feels like he’s entitled to it at this point.

They’re literally just _ talking _ and Hummel’s already taking up the mantle of mayor of Jealousland. Wonderful.

“Hey,” Sebastian says, with possibly the best idea of his life. “What are you guys doing tomorrow night?”

“Well,” Hummel speaks first, which is _ honestly _ hilarious - who the fuck does he think he is? Sebastian Smythe? No dice. “We’re rehearsing for the school musical.” Sebastian glances over at Blaine, who just looks plain shocked. His mouth’s open just a little and Sebastian imagines- “And then at bedtime we do a rigorous skin regimen over the phone together.”

_ Wait. _ Any dirty thoughts leave Sebastian then, and he stares at Kurt in pure puzzlement for no longer than five seconds. That is, without a doubt, the _ gayest _ thing he’s ever heard and he’s literally made guys beg for his cock. “As sexy as that sounds, what do you say we shake things up?” Kurt looks intrigued at that which Sebastian honestly wasn’t expecting, but it’s something. “I get you guys a couple of fake IDs and we head over to Scandals. In West Lima.” 

“Scandals?” Blaine repeats. “That’s the gay bar.” he adds quietly, obviously for Kurt’s benefit.

_ Oh, baby gays. How innocent you are. _ “Last time I was there, I met the man on my dreams on the dance floor.”

“Really?” Hummel murmurs, his brows perfectly raised but otherwise expressionless. “That’s so sweet. Are you two still together?”

“Sadly, no. We broke up about twenty minutes after we met.”

Kurt’s brows raise even higher, but Blaine _ still _ looks shocked. Sebastian really needs to get him on board here, because no matter how interested Hummel may be, it’s straight-up not worth going with them if Blaine isn’t interested. “Come on guys, live a little!”

Blaine blinks out of his stupor, chancing a quick glance over at Kurt before he leans in closer to Sebastian. “We’d love to and thank you for the offer- it’s very nice of you, but...” he looks over at Kurt again, starting back in on his stammering. “It’s just- it’s not our thing, you know?”

Sebastian’s about to proclaim defeat (no _ way _ is he going to a gay club with Blaine and Kurt if Kurt is the only interested party of the two), but Hummel cuts in before he can say anything, saying, “Let’s do it!”

“What?” Blaine questions, looking almost affronted. 

“Yeah! I mean... we have a whole bunch of firsts to start crossing off our lists, don’t we?” Hummel turns to Sebastian, the smile easily leaving his face and any warmth in his voice quickly disappearing. “We’re in.” 

“Great.” Sebastian says, but his gaze doesn’t leave Blaine.

Blaine’s staring back, brows furrowed. “Great.”

_ -ss- _

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ Hey, we’re going to be a little late. My Maria’s having some trouble. _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ everything okay? _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ Nothing too serious. She’s vegan and thinks her boyfriend accidentally fed her some meat. _ _  
_ _ If she’s right, it’s gonna be a rough night - we’re just keeping her company until her dads are home. _

Sebastian wonders if that _ we _ is really supposed to say _ I_.

Kurt Hummel doesn’t particularly strike him as the comforting type.

_ -ss- _

Drag Queen Wednesdays are always fun.

Not because of the drag queens, not really. They’re as sad as the rest of this town (which is to say that they’re _ really fucking sad _) but it’s consistently hilarious to see a bunch of grown men singing along to Dolly Parton songs.

Sebastian’s not sure why Dolly Parton is the only artist ever played on Wednesdays, but he’s not complaining. Anything’s better than Tuesday’s low-tempo rock music. Now that makes him want to jump off a cliff.

But this Wednesday is going to be extra fun, he’s sure of it.

Blaine might be running a little behind schedule, but at least he’s still texting Sebastian - he was kind of expecting last night to be the end of their... what the fuck is he meant to call them? They’re sure as shit not friends. Dalliance? Yeah, sure. Last night was supposed to be the end of their dalliance, but here he is. Blaine’s texting him updates on Rachel, which would be annoying if Blaine wasn’t sending pictures to go along with it. He’s seen a _ lot _ more of Rachel Berry than he ever cares to (watching a girl throw up really changes your opinion on her as a show choir rival) but fuck, it’s hilarious.

But Blaine arrives eventually, Kurt in tow and Sebastian waves them over. The bartender- Jack he thinks, this one’s new- places two drinks in front of him and Sebastian presents them to the couple, grinning up at Blaine. “A beer for Blaine.” and then he turns to Kurt, grin melting into a smirk. “And for Kurt, a Shirley Temple with extra cherries. I hear you’re the designated driver like, _ all the time_.” he raises his own gin and tonic, clinking it hard against Blaine’s beer. “Cheers boys, to the glamorous life.”

Hummel doesn’t seem particularly interested in enjoying all Scandals has to offer, but Blaine follows Sebastian around like a little puppy. At least he’s smart about it - nurses that first beer for at least an hour, then refuses to accept anything anyone else offers to buy for him.

(He lets Sebastian buy him another beer or two and really, what about Sebastian makes Blaine think he’s trustworthy?)

They don’t talk very much, but halfway through the night Blaine leads the majority of the club in a sing-along to _ 9 to 5 _ that has Sebastian laughing so hard he thinks he might cry. A couple of the drag queens corner Blaine after, make him promise to come back for another Wednesday so they can have a full night of sing-alongs to Dolly. Sebastian half-expects him to say no, but instead Blaine nods at them emphatically, promising he’ll be back as soon as his schedule allows.

They’re close enough to the bar that Sebastian can see the glare Hummel aims at Blaine at that. As much as Sebastian wants to make trouble between Blaine and Kurt, he also really doesn’t want to ruin Blaine’s fun so instead he leads Blaine away from the drag queens and back towards the dancefloor.

Sebastian’s kind of glad he knows just about everyone who frequents this shithole since it means they’re giving the two of them a wide berth. Kids like Blaine, they usually get eaten alive in places like this. 

Also, sue him. Blaine’s the hottest guy in the joint and he’s giving Sebastian all his attention. Fucking _ anyone _ would kill for that. Judging by the looks Sebastian’s been getting all night, he doesn’t think Hummel’s far off doing so.

He has fun, though. At least until Kurt decides to join them on the dancefloor, but it’s already past midnight at that point and Blaine mentioned earlier that Artie insisted they have an early night. He’ll give Hummel _ one _ dance.

_ -ss- _

Sebastian doesn’t stick around much longer after Kurt leads Blaine out of the club. Can’t really afford to, sneaking back into Dalton is enough of a headache even with his roommate still awake to run interference if needed. Trying to get in without Jon’s help is basically asking to get his ass suspended.

Except his plans change when he’s not even five minutes away from Scandals and he spots a lonely figure sitting on a bench, playing with a sloppily tied bowtie. 

Sebastian wants to hate how he doesn’t even hesitate to pull over and check on Blaine, but he’s pretty sure the Warblers would all murder him if they ever found out he left Blaine alone like this. And they _ would _ find out, Sebastian’s sure of it.

Blaine looks up from his bowtie as Sebastian comes to a stop in front of him, but Sebastian’s not entirely sure Blaine’s actually registering him at all. 

He cannot fucking _ believe _ Hummel left Blaine out here by himself. Whatever the fuck happened is not worth _ this_. Blaine was barely capable of supporting himself on the way out of the club and it wouldn’t take much to take advantage of him. Fuck Hummel.

“Just give me a minute, B. I think I’ve got a sweatshirt here for you.” Sebastian twists around to the backseat, rummages through his lacrosse bag to find his team sweatshirt before pushing his car door open and holding it out to Blaine. “Put it on, okay? It’s freezing out here.” Sebastian can see his breath. Fuck Ohio.

Fuck everything, apparently. He just wanted to get back to his dorm and sleep.

Blaine stares at the sweatshirt at least five moments too long before he reaches out with a shuddering hand to take it from him. How _ long _ has Blaine been out here? Sebastian’s pretty sure Kurt and Blaine left half an hour ago.

Sebastian watches Blaine struggle with the sweatshirt with a sinking feeling in his stomach because he’s _ worried_. Sebastian Smythe doesn’t worry. Fuck Blaine Anderson, too.

“Blaine, hey, just let me do it.” Sebastian takes the sweatshirt back and helps him put it on. He’s vaguely horrified to note he doesn’t even try to cop a feel. “Where’s your girlfriend?”

Blaine blinks up at him a few times. “I only kissed Rachel twice.”

“You-” Sebastian stops. _ What the fuck _ comes to mind. 

“She’s at her house, anyway.” Blaine continues, ignoring Sebastian’s stutter. Thank God. “Her boyfriend fed her _ meat_, Sebastian. Can you believe that? What kind of boyfriend forgets their girlfriend is vegan?” Blaine shakes his head rather viciously, sending himself off-center; Sebastian straightens him up without thinking about it. “I don’t think I like Finn. Is that bad?”

Sebastian is outright disgusted with himself that his first thought isn’t _ how can we use this against New Directions? _ Fucking Blaine, making him give a shit. “Yeah, killer. Probably. Think it just makes you a good friend though.”

“I’m an awful friend.” Blaine retorts, tugging Sebastian’s sleeves over his hands. “Kurt let me go because I’m _ awful_.”

“Blaine,” Sebastian kneels down opposite Blaine, resting his hands on the drunken boy’s knees. “You’re not awful. Whatever happened with Hummel doesn’t change that. Just give it a day or two and you’ll be back to your thrilling bedtime routine.”

Blaine smiles at the thought but it fades fast. “I think I messed up, Sebastian.”

“Seems so, killer.” Sebastian sighs. “Come on, I’ll give you a ride home and you can tell me all about it.”

_ -ss- _

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Unknown**  
_ Stay away from my boyfriend. _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Lady Hummel**  
_ don’t leave your boyfriend drunk and alone near a known gay bar in fucking ohio after midnight then. _

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ Hey, Sebastian. Thank you so much for last night, I’m sorry if I was too much of a bother! _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ no problem, b. see you at wss? _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ For sure! I told Nick he can come backstage to say hi, but I’d love to see you back there too! You can meet Rachel for real. _  
_ Just let me know so I can tell Puck not to beat you up if he sees you hanging around. _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_i’ll definitely be there, but about rachel..._

_ -ss- _

Sebastian spends the rest of the week tied up in Sectionals preparations.

It’s going well enough - they’re doing a three-part Beatles medley that David and Thad arranged and it’s definitely enough to win them Sectionals, but Sebastian knows they’ll have to step up their game come Regionals. His captaincy will come into effect after Sectionals though, so at least he’ll be in charge then. 

Despite himself, he’s glad New Directions decided to implode - they were meant to be in the same competition bracket as the Warblers again, but the Troubletones forced a redo of the roster. Sebastian doesn’t want an easy win, not really, but the two teams they’re facing at Sectionals now aren’t even competition. Just a way for everyone to refine their skills before the real battle begins at Regionals.

They’re performing the whole routine for the Crawford girls on Friday so tensions are pretty high - Sebastian isn’t sure why, he’s only met Thad’s girlfriend but she seems sweet enough. Nick assures him that Kayla’s an outlier and while they love the Crawford girls, they definitely don’t hold back in their criticisms.

Sebastian’s kind of excited to meet them.

But Friday comes and Sebastian stops by the cafe on his way to rehearsal, ordering his usual Americano. 

“Actually,” he’s saying before he can stop himself. “Can I get a hot chocolate too?”

Fucking _ Blaine_.

Nick looks like Christmas has come early when Sebastian places a hot chocolate in front of him and Jeff’s chatting away about how _ Sebastian’s one of us now! _ and Trent’s smiling at him for the first time since Tuesday, so it’s not all bad. 

It’s all just to win their votes for when he becomes captain, he swears. Sebastian has this year on-lock, he knows that much- but who knows what next year will bring. He needs to make friends right now and he has Blaine on his side, who he’s pretty sure has an encyclopedia on ways to befriend every single Warbler. 

He hasn’t actually mentioned their practice performance to Blaine, but he’s not surprised when he gets a text on the bus to Crawford.

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ We both know you don’t need it, but good luck! Tell me how it goes tonight! _ _  
_ _ Remember to come see me before the show! _

They lead with _ With a Little Help From My Friends _ and Sebastian pretends not to notice the lingering looks Jeff keeps throwing in his direction.

But if he looks back over at Jeff and Nick when Thad sings, “_Do you need anybody? I need somebody..._”, well. He’s just laying it on _ really _ thick.

_ -ss- _

Jeff and Trent are upset that they weren’t invited backstage too, but Thad explains that Blaine probably wants to have calm energy around him before the first performance. Blaine all-but confirms it when he sends a selfie of him, Rachel and their Anita to Jeff and Trent specifically, captioned with _ cheer really loud so we can hear you! Santana thinks I made you guys up. _

They see the unknown girl from the photo glancing out into the audience from the left of the stage, so Jeff naturally starts yelling and Anita- wait, _ Santana_\- notices him immediately, blowing a kiss before disappearing back behind the curtain. 

Nick and Sebastian take their leave then, but they’re intercepted by a kid with a mohawk before they get too far. “You’re the dudes Blaine mentioned, right? Come on, I’ll take you backstage.”

Puck leads the two of them towards the makeup table, where Blaine and Rachel are doing touch-ups on each other. Innocent touches take on a whole new meaning when Sebastian thinks about what Blaine told him during Thursday’s lunch, but he figures teasing the two of them will get him kicked out very quickly.

Instead he lets Nick speak first, who says, “Guys, hey! Rachel, you look gorgeous.” Rachel flushes under the praise, standing up to kiss Nick on the cheek while Sebastian leans over towards Blaine who’s nervously fiddling with a makeup brush.

“You look great, B.”

Blaine smiles up at him, placing the make-up brush back in its holder. “Thank you, Sebastian. How’d you go today?”

“Those girls are kind of intense, huh?” Sebastian grins, reaching into his pocket and producing a few slips of paper, all filled with numbers of very attractive but _ very female _ girls.

Blaine laughs, reaching around his table for a trash can. “Here. And trust me, I _ know_. They’re all sweethearts though! Did you meet David’s sister? She’s not part of the music society, but she usually comes to watch the performances.” 

Sebastian disposes of the paper, leaning up against the next table. “Yeah, Lia seems nice. David said she’s into debate?”

Blaine’s face lights up but before he can say anything, Rachel abruptly shoves herself between Blaine and Sebastian. “You’re the new captain of the Warblers, aren’t you?” she asks, eyeing Sebastian suspiciously. Blaine looks helpless over her shoulder but Sebastian shrugs him off before looking back at Rachel.

“Yes.”

“Have you come to scope out your inevitable competition?” Rachel presses, leaning in even closer to Sebastian. _ Jesus_, he thought the Crawford girls were intense. 

“No.” Sebastian answers, brows furrowed. The actual answer is _ partly_, naturally. There’s a reason he bet on New Directions in the Sectionals pool. Their talent is insane, even if currently lacking one of their biggest powerhouses and he knows Lopez is no slouch either. “We’re here to support Blaine, Berry. That okay?”

Rachel’s expression softens then, and she glances over her shoulder to smile at Blaine. “Yes, of course it is. It was nice to meet you, Sebastian.” she pats him on the shoulder before excusing herself to let the three of them talk.

Nick’s telling Blaine all about the medley when Sebastian tunes into their conversation, so he’s content just to listen. It’s the first time he’s really seen Blaine talk to another Warbler - when he showed up for _ Uptown Girl_, all the guys were just talking at him. But with Nick, Sebastian sees how the tension leaks from Blaine’s frame. 

Sebastian had almost thought that while every Warbler, past and present, was harboring a major boner for Blaine Anderson, Blaine didn’t return their intense fondness. He sees it now though, in how Blaine is listening with rapt attention and how he’s smiling up at Nick like he’s the whole world.

“Hi, Nick.” someone new interrupts and Sebastian glances up to see Kurt standing a little ways away, already in his costume. Sebastian almost wants to punch him for what happened on Wednesday night, but refrains. Artie Abrams mightn’t look particularly intimidating, but he’s heard enough stories about the director to be wary of what may happen if Sebastian gets blood on one of his costumes. 

“Kurt, hello.” Nick greets, giving Kurt a small smile before returning to his conversation with Blaine, who’s reached out to hold Kurt’s hand. It all looks disgustingly sweet and Sebastian would believe the act if he wasn’t the one who drove a crying Blaine home just two days earlier. 

Kurt then glances at Sebastian, jerking his head towards the costume rack in a silent invitation. Sebastian’s positive nothing good can come of this, but he’s curious, so he nods and then makes his way over. 

“I... I just wanted to apologise.” Kurt says slowly. “You shouldn’t have had to drive Blaine home, not when he was like that.”

And okay, Sebastian wanted an apology, sure. But not this one. He agrees that he shouldn’t have had to drive Blaine home, but he would do it again a million times to make sure he got home safe.

(There’s a million things wrong with that, but Sebastian’s already given up trying to understand how he feels about Blaine Anderson.)

What he wants an apology for is how Kurt left. He does understand why Kurt is upset - what Blaine did is wrong, even Sebastian knows that. But it would’ve taken a _ second _ to grab Sebastian and ask him to go after Blaine. Hell, Kurt could’ve asked just about anyone in the club that night - they all loved Blaine, would want to look after him. Instead Blaine was left alone in a part of Lima he didn’t know and was too impaired to look after himself. 

But it’s _ opening night _ and Sebastian might not be a theatre kid, but he knows how important this is. He doesn’t want to make a big scene and mess it up for Blaine. So instead he grins at Kurt and says, “No sweat, Lady Hummel. Break a leg tonight.” 

He leaves Kurt stammering and can’t help the smirk that grows on his face.

_ -ss- _

_ West Side Story _ is amazing.

Blaine and Rachel are gorgeous up on stage and if Trent’s endless squeaking is anything to go by, they’re a perfect Tony and Maria. It’s not a flawless rendition, but it’s as close as a school like McKinley will ever get.

The music is great, too - Blaine’s _ Something’s Coming _ is the highlight in Sebastian’s opinion, but the best performance of the whole play definitely belongs to _ A Boy Like That/I Have a Love_. Rachel and Santana sound amazing together and Sebastian can’t help but be glad that they’re not in the same club anymore. He also sees why Blaine didn’t think he had a chance at playing Riff, because the guy they have (Mike?) absolutely slays _ Cool_.

Hummel playing a universally-hated character doesn’t quite hurt, either.

After the curtain call, the Warblers all start to make their way out - most of them wanted to stay to congratulate Blaine, but he’d told Nick and Sebastian he probably wouldn’t be free of backstage for a few hours. New Directions are coming to watch the Warblers at Sectionals in two weeks, so he promised to come early and wish them luck then. 

Before Sebastian even leaves his seat though, he gets a text.

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ If you guys are still here, don’t go! Rachel demanded we get to come see our audience, so I’ll be right out. :) _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ we’ll be out in the foyer, b. _

So the Warblers are milling around in the foyer as they wait for Blaine to break free of whatever Rachel is surely monopolizing his time with, but everyone’s talking about the show - Trent’s practically yelling about how much he loved it and even Beatbox admits the music was wonderful. 

Sebastian’s distracted fucking around on his phone so he doesn’t pay too much attention to everyone’s conversations and then Blaine starts texting him updates on his trek through the auditorium to get to the foyer, so any attention he might’ve spared his fellow Warblers is absolutely gone.

He does notice when everyone gets quiet though.

Sebastian glances up from his phone, furrowing his brows when he realises practically everyone’s looking at him. “What?”

“You’re smiling!” Jeff observes, grinning over at him.

No, he is- oh.

“Uh.”

“Do you have a boyfriend?” Trent guesses, looking excited for potential gossip. Next to him, Nick looks awfully thoughtful. Sebastian’s more than a little paranoid about it.

“Please, Trent.” David scoffs, waving his hand. “Sebastian doesn’t date and we all know it.” 

“He’s right.” Sebastian better come up with something _ fast_\- “I’m checking my snapchat. So many dick pics.”

Perfect.

Jeff, Thad and Trent all cringe, looking away and starting the previous conversation back up. David and Nick are both still looking at him and Sebastian wants to tell them both to fuck off but he thinks that’ll make them even more suspicious so instead he goes back to his phone, catching up on Blaine’s last few messages.

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ Mike and Puck are talking about having an arm wrestling tournament, I think I’ve found my out. _  
_ Santana’s offered to sneak me out if I’ll bet on her. I shouldn’t tell her I was planning to already, right? _  
_ I’ve been warned that if Puck loses, he’s blaming me for not betting on him. You guys will protect me, won’t you? _ _  
_ _Freedom!!! I’ll be there in a minute. :)_

He’s about to start texting back when a resounding cheer sounds from all the Warblers, no doubt signalling Blaine’s arrival. 

When Sebastian looks up, David’s looked away to greet and congratulate Blaine but Nick’s still staring intently at him. It’s honestly getting a little creepy now so Sebastian feels more than vindicated in flashing him the rude finger before focusing his attention on Blaine.

Blaine is practically standing on the opposite side of the foyer, but even Sebastian can see that he is _ glowing _ . It’s obviously not a foreign concept, Sebastian knows all about the adrenaline high of performing but Blaine wears it so well. He’s beaming down at Beatbox who’s chatting animatedly to him, no doubt talking about how he could rearrange the _ West Side Story _ score into something fully acapella. 

In this moment, Sebastian can see Blaine five years in the future, barely out of college and already with an impressive off-off Broadway resume - he sees Blaine at the stage door on opening night, meeting adoring fans. He’ll sign all their programs five times over and take hundreds of photos with each fan, because that’s who Blaine _ is_.

Then he realises how fucking weird it is to fantasize about someone _ else’s _ future so he picks his phone back up and opens Tinder, looking to fully depress some desperate straight girls.

Until he gets a new text.

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ How do I explain to Beat that the instrumentals in WSS are some of the best in Broadway history? _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ You don’t. Just smile and nod. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ Okay. I’ll be over soon. :) _

If _ soon _ means _ in an hour_, Blaine’s right on time. 

Sebastian tells him as much and Blaine laughs at him, offering an apology but they both know he isn’t particularly sorry. Sebastian’s only properly known Blaine five days, but he knows just as well as anyone that Blaine thrives off of conversation with his friends.

“So,” Blaine says as he sits down next to Sebastian. “What’d you think of the show?”

“I’m not really a theatre guy, killer.” It feels safer to avoid the question, honestly. Sebastian’s only sincere answer would be _ it was fucking amazing _ and that feels like the least educated answer he could possibly give. Blaine just quirks an eyebrow in response, nudging his shoulder. “You _ know _ it was great, Blaine.”

Blaine smiles at the praise. And no, it certainly doesn’t escape Sebastian’s notice that Blaine is so much more willing to accept compliments so long as Hummel isn’t part of the conversation.

Interesting. 

“Your _ Something’s Coming _ was amazing, I see why you auditioned with it.” Sebastian offers after a beat, remembering how just about the whole audience stopped breathing when the first notes of the song played. He’s never heard it before outside of the movie (his mother’s always been an avid fan of movie musicals), but Blaine certainly blew Jimmy Bryant out of the water.

“I’ve, uh- been playing with the idea of adding it to my audition portfolio.” Blaine admits. “I know it’s still pretty early to be thinking about auditioning for schools next year but I just want to be prepared.” 

It’s not that early and they both know it, but Sebastian isn’t sure if _ McKinley _ knows it. The other New Directioners are probably poking fun at Blaine for already nominating audition songs, but Sebastian knows it’s the smartest move. If he were planning to pursue the performing arts, he’d have had a shortlist of audition songs picked out before his junior year even began.

Absently, he wonders how Blaine’s dealing with the fact that the New Directions probably don’t have a setlist picked out despite the fact their Sectionals are only three weeks away. 

“It’d be a great addition, B.”

“You think?” Blaine asks, a little helplessly. “It’s just- I can’t _ do _ the vibrato, and I know that’s a huge issue.”

Trent had mentioned something about vibrato, but fuck if Sebastian can remember it now. “Trust me, nobody will be missing the vibrato. You sounded great, Blaine. It’d be great to audition with because the judges would be able to see how you work around challenges. Don’t write yourself off.”

Blaine lets out a long breath before smiling back up at Sebastian, even brighter than before. “Thanks, Bas.”

_ Bas_. He’s not sure he’s ever had a nickname before, at least not outside of his mother’s _ lovely boy_. 

He doesn’t hate it.


	2. does it worry you to be alone?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_We got really lucky, didn’t we?_   
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_as far as leaving the closet, yes. everything else, i’m not sure._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick timeline note: I moved up the release of Reggie’s commercial to more-or-less the day Santana discovers it - personally, I find that it makes more sense for Burt and Sue to spend some more time discussing it (with Santana’s parents but she never finds out about that part, she gets to come out to them all the same) than immediately going to a seventeen year old. There’s (a fucking lot) more changes in this chapter, but that feels like it’s the hardest one to follow. The entirety of Mash-Off has been switched around, even if the same events still happen - the days are just a little muddled. My bad. Kinda. Most of it was on purpose. I Kissed A Girl is more chill and canon-compliant!

After Friday, Sebastian’s life is more or less put on hold to prepare for Sectionals. David and Thad even refuse to let him attend lacrosse practice for a fortnight since the season technically doesn’t start until March. _ God_, Sebastian needs a break.

Blaine provides a nice enough distraction with his near-constant texts, though. The drama at McKinley is consistently hilarious, especially with Blaine’s commentary. Apparently Puckerman asked for Blaine’s help to perform _ Hot For Teacher_. What the actual fuck even _ is _ public school. 

Blaine’s texts are full of theories on who the teacher is but Sebastian still thinks it might just be something Puckerman honestly wanted to perform, it seems his genre. Blaine calls him after Sebastian says as much and tells him, very sagely, “Nobody ever _ just _ performs something at McKinley, trust me. Apart from Artie and Brittany, they sing _ My Cup _ all the time.”

Anyway, Sebastian’s money is on the cheerleading coach. Puckerman seems dumb enough for that. 

But even with Blaine’s texts, Sebastian constantly feels like he’s only five seconds away from slamming in Thad’s face with his fucking gavel. The first thing Sebastian’s going to do when he takes up his captaincy is throw that thing in the trash. Or maybe he’ll give it to Blaine instead, it seems like something he’d enjoy. 

Most of the Warblers seem as irritated and exhausted as Sebastian, so that’s something. Beatbox is the only person who seems mostly unaffected but there’s also the fact that Sebastian has caught him napping in just about every single rehearsal so far.

Jeff notices once too and snickers, whispering to Sebastian, “It’s Beat’s world and we’re all just living in it.” which might be the smartest thing Sterling’s ever said.

What gets most of them through Thad’s dictatorship is the victory party that Jeff and Nick are already planning - Sebastian’s yet to have the pleasure of attending a Duval-Sterling party, but just about everyone assures him that it will be biblical. Even his roommate is excited and Sebastian’s pretty sure he can count on one hand the amount of times he’s seen Jon openly smile. 

When they’re freed from rehearsal on Tuesday night, Sebastian hangs back to hopefully talk a little to David - he knows that David’s just as guilty of the recent crazy as Thad is, but David’s the far more reasonable of the two. Hopefully Sebastian can talk a _ little _ sense into him.

“Sebastian, hey,” David greets when it’s just the two of them left. He’s thumbing through the sheet music Beatbox’s drawn up for the harmonizations. “What’s up?”

“You’re driving the Warblers insane.” Sebastian says bluntly, sitting up on the council’s table. David throws him a dirty look when he realises but Sebastian just winks at him. “We need a night off or _ everyone _ is going to forget that they respect you and Thad and start beating you two up.”

David actually looks up at that and he doesn’t seem as annoyed as Sebastian was expecting. Win. “We can’t afford to take a day off, you know that.”

Sebastian cocks a brow. “Can’t we? Our competition is a _ joke_, Thompson.” They’re literally against a fucking bird school and some chicks from the local juvie. “Listen, we can still rehearse - just... the normal amount. Everyone’s barely two minutes away from murdering each other.”

David inclines his head. “Right you may be, but we both know it’s Thad you need to convince.”

Grinning, Sebastian gestures towards David. “No, we both know it’s Thad _ you _ need to convince. He’ll never listen to me.”

“Alright.” David concedes. “I’ll talk to him in the morning and let you know how it goes, but don’t go telling anyone. If it doesn’t work out, it’ll just give you all more reasons to hate us.”

It’s not a guarantee but Sebastian knows it’s as close as he’s going to get, so he thanks David before heading back to his dorm, absentmindedly checking his phone as he goes.

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ I know you have rehearsal but there’s a lot going on! _  
_ We’re having a mash-off with the Troubletones!!! Mr. Schuester and Ms. Corcoran thought we could channel our energy into a small competition. _  
_ (I know, we could be channeling our energy into REHEARSING FOR SECTIONALS. Or just picking a setlist. I don’t want to talk about it.) _  
_ I remember you saying not liking Finn was just me being a good friend but he’s just so rude, Bas! Everyone suggested something to perform and he just said NO without a second thought. _  
_ And everyone just TOOK IT. We’re singing Hall & Oates who are wonderful but we could’ve done The Clash! Or The Police! Mike even suggested R.E.M. who Finn love!!! _  
_ If we sing You Lost That Lovin’ Feeling, I may die. It’s a good song but so low-energy and we don’t have time to do a whole new arrangement. _  
_ Whatever it is, Rory’s singing lead though! I just hope Finn doesn’t find a way to get himself on lead, too. _  
_ (He got himself on lead. Quinn and Tina are too, so I can’t complain too much. They both deserve to sing so much more than they already do.) _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ hudson’s an idiot. the police would’ve been so much better. imagine singing EBYT at lopez. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ Now that I’ve had time to think about it, I think I would’ve loved to do The Clash. Puck could lead, it’d be awesome! _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ he owes you a favor for HFT, right? just ask him to sing some clash with you. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ !!! Bas !!! _  
_ You’re the best. :) _ _  
_ Promise I’m not gathering intel for Rachel but how’s rehearsal going?

Sebastian fills him in on David and Thad’s craziness, but his mind’s still stuck on one thing: _Blaine remembers talking last Wednesday? _

_ -ss- _

Sebastian doesn’t get the chance to ask about what else Blaine remembers from the ride home because they’re both suddenly way too busy - Sebastian gets his day off from rehearsal but Jeff and Nick wrangle him into helping plan their stupid party. Blaine’s busy with a dodgeball match (he wants to ask but he figures it’s a public school thing) anyway, so it’s not like Sebastian’s missing out. 

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ How does a dodgeball match end in the nurse’s office? Tell me, please. _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ public school. you okay? _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ The Troubletones almost broke Rory’s nose. _

You’d think a nurses visit would be the highlight of Blaine’s day, but no. Sebastian gets another text around lunchtime.

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ finn just outed santana _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ ??? _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ finn just outed santana _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ okay, not what i was questioning. is she okay? has someone come and beat up hudson? I’ll fucking do it. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ i think brittany’s about to _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ do you need to talk? i still have a while before class. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ no i just _  
_ i don’t get it _  
_ his step-brother is gay _  
_ how could he just do that _  
_ i think i hate finn hudson _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ it’s okay to hate him, b. _  
_ fuck knows i do. _  
_ just... you and hummel, you gotta be there for her. i had a friend in paris who got outed and it completely changed his life. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ We got really lucky, didn’t we? _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
as far as leaving the closet, yes. everything else, i’m not sure.

McKinley drama seems significantly less funny now.

Blaine sends a selfie a few hours later of him, Riff and Rosalia (they’re lucky enough Sebastian remembers what characters they played in the musical, no fucking way is he remembering their actual names) decked out in their outfits for the mash-off. They’re all smiling but Blaine doesn’t look particularly happy. It makes some part of him ache.

_ -ss- _

Thursday arrives and Blaine’s day is monopolized by the student council debates, but he has enough free time to send Sebastian irregular updates. He even records Brittany’s speech in its entirety which has Sebastian laughing so hard he might cry in the middle of study hall. The real clincher is when the rest of the audience erupts in cheers around Blaine. Fucking _ public schools_.

Anyway, the debates apparently culminate in Berry withdrawing from the race and throwing her support to Hummel, but both Blaine and Sebastian know that it’s no use. Blaine just won’t admit it. 

Nothing seems to have come of Hudson outing Santana in the middle of a hallway, at least according to Blaine, so Sebastian assumes any students around figured it was just false trash talk which is certainly for the best - Lopez seems volatile at best but Sebastian has _ seen _ how much it hurts to be forcefully outed. Doesn’t matter who the fuck you are, you’re still stripped down to one of your most basest truths without your consent. Still hurts.

He figures he’s safe in that assumption until the Warblers are taking a five minute break on Friday night and Thad has the state news on to see what’s happening outside his insanity.

Sebastian’s half-watching but he’s also trying to get ahold of Blaine, who’s been weirdly quiet all day outside of a few messages to reiterate nobody’s made a big deal of the Santana thing. Sebastian just wants to know who won the mash-off, honestly. It’ll be a good indicator for who they’ll be seeing at Regionals in a few months.

But then the ads start up and it takes him a moment, but he recognises Santana. Santana who’s currently being outed on an Ohio-wide news program. What the _ fuck_. 

He certainly doesn’t miss the worried glances every other Warbler is throwing him now, and he gets it. Despite Dalton being a tolerant school, Sebastian’s still one of the only out students - he’s pretty sure he’s the only Warbler that’s out, too.

But _ fuck_, he needs everyone to stop staring at him. 

“Fuck off.” he snaps after a minute without looking up from his phone where he’s frantically texting Blaine. Why isn’t Blaine answering? Just a little _ I’m alive _ would be fucking great.

**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ i just sa w the ad?? _  
_ blaine wha tthe fuck happened???? _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ Reggie Salazar’s daughter goes to school with us. The other candidate. _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ ??? _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ Coach Sylvester and Mr. Hummel said that she overheard Finn and Santana arguing and what Finn said. She told her dad. _  
_ Santana cried, Bas. She ran out crying. Nobody can get ahold of her. Brittany’s freaking out and Santana’s the only person who knows how to calm her down. _  
_ What if something’s happened to her? _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ fuck _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_Yeah._

Sebastian gets excused from rehearsal for the weekend which is kind of ridiculous, it’s not like _ he _ got outed. It’s not even that this could bring up bad memories for him, either. Sebastian got to choose when he came out to his parents and although his father struggled for a while, his relationship with them both is (was?) better for it. He somehow doubts the same could be said for Santana. 

Hell, having free time probably makes it worse - Jon goes home over the weekends, so Sebastian’s left alone in their dorm. Anyone he would spend time with otherwise is either tied up in Warbler practice or pissed that he’s been absent from lacrosse practice all week, so that’s out too. He kind of wants to call Blaine but figures he’ll be busy with Hummel.

He goes to Scandals for the rest of the night just for the sake of having something to do but even the Friday night crowd seems more subdued than usual. Sebastian understands everyone wanting to show Lopez solidarity but _ fuck off_, don’t ruin his buzz.

The bartender- Benny, Sebastian thinks, he can’t quite keep them all straight in his head- is more generous with his pours than usual though, so that’s something.

The night is a blur after that but he distinctly remembers being walked to a tiny little car out in the parking lot.

_ -ss- _

_ Fuck_, his head.

The room is mercifully dark when Sebastian wakes up but he immediately realises that _ this isn’t his dorm _ . What the fuck happened last night? He doesn’t _ get _ sloppy drunk. And he sure as shit doesn’t stay the night anywhere. 

Well, at least his pants are on. 

Sebastian’s not too sure how long he lays there, but it’s definitely too long. Whoever’s bed this is, he’s pretty sure they’re about to going to come in and murder him eventually. He’s too pretty to die.

At some point the door creaks open and Sebastian groans at the sound, burying his head under one of the pillows. At least the lights in the hallway are turned off. 

“Sebastian?”

Blaine?

“Are you awake?” Blaine asks softly, closing the door behind him. “Properly awake, I mean?”

Sebastian wonders how many times Blaine has come in already if he’s having to try and clarify. What time is it? He wants to check his phone but the idea of looking at his screen makes him want to die a little. “Yeah.” he answers, raising a hand in greeting before realising that with the door closed, Blaine probably can’t see him. “I’m up.”

“Oh, thank God.” Blaine murmurs, shuffling towards the bed. “Do you need anything?”

Sebastian glances in what he hopes is Blaine’s direction, squinting through the dark to try and find some indication he’s looking in the right place. He gets none, so he lays back down and sighs. “What am I doing here, B?”

“You called me.” Blaine offers and Sebastian feels the bed sink a little towards the end, meaning Blaine’s taken a seat. Good. “I picked you up from Scandals.”

Sebastian called him? Shit. He’s gonna check his phone and find a billion snippy texts from Hummel, isn’t he? Well, good. He needs someone to snark at.

“Your parents home?”

“My mom is, she offered to make you breakfast if you think you can stomach it. It’s more lunch now, but she makes pancakes for like, every meal so same difference.” 

God, he misses his mom.

How hungover is he to be admitting _ that_? Fuck. 

Sebastian forces himself to sit up a little but Blaine rushes forward before he gets too far, putting a hand on the small of his back to support him the rest of the way. His hand is very warm. Or maybe Sebastian’s very cold. He can’t quite tell.

“Don’t force yourself,” Blaine chides softly and Sebastian can’t see shit, even knowing exactly where Blaine is now, but he can deduce he’s biting his lip. “We’re not kicking you out or anything.”

“Who in their right mind would kick _ me _ out?” Sebastian jokes, or at least tries to. It comes out flat and wrong. Fuck hangovers.

“Nobody.” Blaine answers, surprisingly sincere. Though, is it really _ that _ surprising? Everything about Blaine is sincere. It’s a little sickening.

Then Blaine coughs a little too loudly, making Sebastian wince. “Uh, anyway- I left some of Cooper’s clothes out for you, they’re probably too big but it’s better than trying to fit into mine. I’ll be downstairs with my mom when you’re ready.”

Before he leaves, Blaine presses Sebastian’s phone into his palm and gives him a little pat on the shoulder but he’s gone before Sebastian can verbalize the question he wants to ask.

Because seriously, who the hell is Cooper?

_ -ss- _

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: David Thompson**  
_ Hey, you good? Nick stopped by your dorm this morning to come see you but said you weren’t in. Let me know if you need to talk, man. We’re all here. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Thad Harwood**  
_ Missing your vocals on Come Together, Warbler Sebastian. Feel free to come by tomorrow if you’re feeling up to it. _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Thad Harwood, David Thompson**  
_ i’m at blaine’s. see you tomorrow. _  
**<<<TEXT NOT SENT: Thad Harwood, David Thompson**  
_and thanks._

_ -ss- _

After a small battle with the mysterious Cooper’s clothes, Sebastian eventually makes his way downstairs. The whole house is relatively dark, which makes Sebastian wonder if Blaine ran around drawing all the curtains when he realised Sebastian was awake. The thought makes him smile despite himself. 

“Blaine?” he calls when he reaches the landing because he already feels disoriented enough without having to try and navigate a house he barely knows. He only handled the stairs because they were literally right next to the room he slept in. When Blaine doesn’t answer, Sebastian tries again with, “Mrs. Anderson?”

“Just a minute, Sebastian!” a woman calls back, her voice sounding rather faint.

Sebastian leans against the railing as he waits, glancing around the foyer. It feels vaguely like his own, if a lot more homely. There’s a lot of photos here, too - he can’t quite make out what they’re of in the darkness, but he sees plenty of frames. He kind of wants to see baby Blaine, so it’s a shame. Maybe later. 

“Hi there!” the same woman greets as a door pushes open and a small stream of light flashes into the foyer. Sebastian’s glad to note that it doesn’t bother him half as much as his phone screen did. “Blaine’s just popped out for a moment, he’ll be right back. Would you like to come through to the kitchen?”

“Sure.” Sebastian murmurs, pushing off of the railing and walking towards Blaine’s mom. The closer he gets, the clearer he sees Mrs. Anderson - she’s smiling up at him with a familiar smile, even if otherwise Sebastian would struggle to see how she and Blaine are related. She’s beautiful though. “I’m really sorry about last night, Mrs. Anderson. I didn’t mean to put you and your son out like this.”

“It’s Pam to you,” _ Pam _ asserts, waving away his concerns as she leads him through the house. It’s a lot brighter out here but Sebastian’s slowly getting used to it. “And between you and me, Blaine needed the distraction. There’s no need to apologise, okay? Yesterday was rough on Blaine, too.”

_ Huh_. He’d forgotten about Santana. Before he can even think of a reply to that, his phone’s ringing, blessedly on silent. He smiles at the _ Killer _ on the display before excusing himself, answering, “B, hey.”

“Hi, Bas.” Blaine greets quietly. Sebastian has to strain to hear him over all the background noise, but he’s still grateful for it. “My mom just sent me to pick up some stuff for pancakes but did you want anything? I’ve already got some gatorade for you.”

“Better be the blue one.” Sebastian asserts, nodding when Blaine murmurs an assent. “Then no, I don’t think so.”

“Great. I’ll be back in like, five minutes - mom’s still home so if you wanna go downstairs, she’ll help you out.”

“I’m already downstairs.” Sebastian informs him, wanting to laugh. “She’s very small.”

“I know! My dad is a literal _ giant_, I’ll show you some photos when I get back.” 

Sebastian hangs up shortly after, padding off in the direction Pam disappeared to. When he pushes open a random door, he finds himself in the kitchen, watching Pam dance around to some soft music. It’s a weird sight, but one that reminds him of his own mother who did similar things back in Paris.

“Don’t let me intrude,” Sebastian says as a way of announcing his arrival, a small grin pulling on his lips. Pam glances over at him, winks once and then dances on her merry way. He has the feeling that the more time he spends with Pam, the more he’ll see Blaine in her.

“Actually,” Pam stops her dance, looking at him thoughtfully. “Blaine said you were in the Warblers. Do you dance or are you another Nick?” 

Sebastian actually laughs at that, ignoring the faint pounding in his temple. “I dance, Mrs. A. Want me to be your partner?”

“It’s _ Pam _.” Pam reminds him with a stern look that remains for approximately five seconds before melting away into another smile. “And yes, I’d love that.”

That’s how Blaine finds them about ten minutes later, waltzing around the kitchen - Sebastian doesn’t dance often with girls, but Pam gave him a quick lesson just before they began and he feels so _ happy _ he might burst with it. He loves his dad and understands why he’s away so often, but he misses just getting to spend time with his family doing irreverent shit like this.

Blaine watches them for a while, smile so wide it’s threatening to split his face. When the song finally winds down, Pam reaches over to stop the music before running over to embrace her son. It’s a sweet little sight.

And then Pam’s working away on her pancakes and Blaine sits up at the counter, patting the other seat in an invitation for Sebastian. 

“Please tell me you weren’t kidding about the gatorade,” Sebastian whines as he sits down but he grins when Blaine produces two bottles from the grocery bag. “Oh, you’re my hero.”

“I think we’re even now.” Blaine observes, smiling over at Sebastian. “So, how do you like your pancakes? Mom has to make your favorite, it’s tradition.”

_ -ss- _

Pam’s pancakes are a gift from God, he’s convinced of it.

Sebastian tells her as much, and she beams at him before pressing a kiss to his cheek. She tells Blaine, “We better be seeing more of this boy around here.” before excusing herself to her garden which apparently is in desperate need of weeding. 

Blaine watches her go, mirth apparent in his gaze. When she’s gone, he turns back to Sebastian, still smiling. “You know, considering how everyone keeps telling me you’re a pompous ass, you really know how to charm parents, don’t you?”

Sebastian snorts. _ Pompous ass _ is putting it lightly but his mama taught him respect, thank you very much. “Can you blame me? Your mom’s adorable.” 

“She is, isn’t she?” Blaine sighs happily, throwing another glance over his shoulder to the door his mom disappeared out of. Then he shakes himself, focusing on Sebastian. “I believe I promised you some photos, come on.”

Blaine leads Sebastian out of the kitchen, chatting merrily away about his mother’s recent birthday. It was her 50th (Sebastian tells Blaine there is no _ way _ his mother is fifty, making Blaine laugh joyfully) which meant it was a whole affair, naturally. Blaine’s father had booked out the entirety of an upscale restaurant in Westerville which made for a hilarious picture when Blaine revealed Kurt and his family had been invited, meaning Finn Hudson in a formal getup. Sebastian’s quietly convinced he looked like Sasquatch stuffed into a suit five sizes too small.

Blaine’s still talking when he gently pushes Sebastian down on a rather plush couch with a, “Mom keeps the photo albums in her bedroom- _ don’t ask_, seriously- so I’ll be right back.”

And then Sebastian’s left alone in what he gathers is the Anderson’s living room. It looks nice, if way too clean considering there’s a teenage boy living in the house full-time. That teenage boy _ is _ Blaine though, who wears bow ties and fedoras because he thinks they’re fashionable. Maybe the cleanliness makes sense.

There’s plenty of photos in here too, and there’s enough light that Sebastian can actually see the subjects of them - there’s a number of younger Blaine’s smiling back at him, but there’s plenty of Pam too. The two of them are in the bare majority of the photos, sometimes with another man, usually not. Sebastian wonders if Blaine’s dad is as busy as his own.

Blaine returns before Sebastian can think about it too long, wielding two bulging albums with him. “Here we are!” he announces, passing one to Sebastian as he takes a seat. “That one’s older- it has a lot more Cooper, but plenty of baby Blaine too.” 

“Cooper’s your... brother?” Sebastian guesses, glad to know Cooper isn’t like, Blaine’s secret live-in boyfriend or something.

“Yeah.” Blaine answers. Sebastian is almost expecting a big long rant about how _ amazing _ Cooper is, but instead Blaine opens up the album on Sebastian’s lap. Blaine explains just about every photo they come across and despite how open Blaine is with just about everyone he meets, Sebastian doubts that many people get to see this. He wonders if Blaine’s walked any other Warbler through his family’s photo albums. Maybe Wes, if anyone. Definitely Hummel, if he even counts.

The first album spans the initial eighteen years of Cooper Anderson’s life - there aren’t many photos of just Blaine’s parents or even Blaine, but they’re definitely included. Sebastian sees at least five photos where little Blaine is wearing a bow tie and wishes he didn’t find it so damn endearing.

“We don’t have to look at the other one.” Blaine offers when Sebastian places the first album on the coffee table. “It’s just me and my mom for the most part.” And there’s... _ something _ there, Sebastian knows. Blaine filled him in on Cooper’s choice to move away to California after graduating high school, but that doesn’t explain his father’s imminent absence.

“I don’t know, killer. I’ve been enjoying your origin story.”

Not that the albums tell him jackshit about what Blaine’s life was like growing up - he knows just about everything about Cooper, but Blaine’s still a mystery. The two brothers sung together often but it’s the only indication Sebastian’s really gotten that the boy in the photos is the same teen sitting beside him. 

Blaine flushes, looking pleased. “Okay. Cool.”

He wonders if Hummel took the out when Blaine showed him the albums.

Blaine talks him through the second album, which Sebastian thinks should be renamed _ The Blaine and Pam Experience_. Blaine’s dad is still around - and way too tall considering Blaine’s his biological son, not Cooper - but he’s definitely absent for the most part. Cooper’s there for all the Christmas photos but virtually nothing else. The newest photo is from Pam’s birthday, and it’s of the three Ohio-based Andersons and what seems like hundreds of their closest friends. Blaine’s beaming in the photo, looking up at who Sebastian guesses would be Hummel. If he looks close enough, he can see Blaine’s dad giving his son some serious side-eye.

Father Anderson’s a homophobic asshole, apparently.

“These’ll be worth millions when you make your Broadway debut.” Sebastian comments when Blaine closes the second album.

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Blaine laughs, holding the album to his chest. Even the photo on the front is just of Blaine and Pam. Jesus. At least they look happy, wrapped up in each other’s arms. “My mom would _ never _ sell these.”

“No,” Sebastian says absently, still staring at the cover. “I don’t suppose she would.”

_ -ss- _

Sebastian doesn’t want to stay for dinner, seriously. This is getting way too intimate for his liking and it’s not even the _ fun _ kind of intimate. 

(Seriously, every time Sebastian looks at Blaine’s ass he swears it gets even perkier. It’s just unfair.)

But Blaine and Pam both ask him to stay a little longer and with the collective force of their puppy dog eyes force Sebastian into submission. Damn Andersons.

He has to get a ride back to Scandals from Blaine to pick up his car anyway, so it’s not like he has much choice. At least that’s what he tells himself.

The three of them order in from the best Thai place Lima has to offer and it’s a weird experience but it’s nice, surprisingly.

Sebastian doesn’t really ever eat dinner alone, not technically. He eats it in the dining hall with all the other Dalton boarders and the further into the school year he gets, the more people he has to eat with. But there’s still something _ different _ about eating in the Anderson’s living room, watching Blaine and Pam pick from each other’s containers.

“Have you heard anything about that Lopez girl?” Pam asks when the three of them are finished, looking concerned.

Blaine stills from where he’s gathering everyone’s rubbish into a trash bag, looking over at his mom with wide eyes. “Uh, yes. Brittany found her this morning.”

“And she’s okay?”

“I think so.” Blaine answers, sounding a little uneasy. “Kurt told me that her and Finn have a meeting with Principal Figgins tomorrow.”

“So he’ll get punished?” Sebastian assumes, something too much like anger sinking in his stomach. Seriously, _ fuck _ Finn Hudson.

“No.” Blaine says, placing the trash bag down on the coffee table. “Santana assaulted him.”

What in the actual _ fuck _ is wrong with public schools?

Before Sebastian can start in on tearing Finn Hudson apart, Pam basically jumps up from her seat, reaching out to hold Blaine’s hand. “Sweetheart, you didn’t mention that.”

“I know. I’m sorry, momma.”

“Why not?”

Blaine glances over at Sebastian, expression strangely guarded. It looks weird on him. “I don’t wanna bore Bas, mom. I can just drop him off to his car and come back to talk.”

“No, no,” Sebastian says as Pam’s shaking her head. He’s infinitely glad that she’s on his side here. He doesn’t give a fuck about Lopez, but this struggle, it’s a big part of his world. Fuck knows he’ll never be able to articulate everything he’s feeling, but he’s happy to listen to Blaine. “B, you wouldn’t be boring me.”

Blaine doesn’t look entirely convinced but Pam’s tugging him down to sit before he can properly protest and when he’s properly settled, Pam snuggles in close to him. 

After a few moments, Blaine lets out a shaky breath. “Okay, well. I don’t know all the history between Finn and Santana, but Kurt and Rachel swear that there’s a _ lot_. They’ve been going really hard at each other ever since Santana joined the Troubletones, too.” Pam grips Blaine a little harder at that and that’s _ definitely _ a story Sebastian’s going to be wheedling out of Blaine on the drive to Scandals. “I don’t know what changed this week- maybe it was Ms. Corcoran and Mr. Schuester’s mash-off, but they’ve been fighting practically all week.

“I’m not trying to defend Santana, okay? She’s been _ awful _ this week. The Troubletones sent Rory to the nurse’s office! But... I know Finn and Kurt weren’t related when Kurt was coming out, but I don’t think it’s insane to expect that he’d show a little tact. He loves Kurt, you know? They’re really sweet together. He should know better. But to... to throw Santana’s sexuality at her, so _ carelessly _, it’s so cruel. I don’t know how Finn can go around preaching teamwork and family if he’s going to do stuff like this.”

Sebastian knew things were fucked up over at McKinley, but how the fuck is New Directions even functioning at this point? If Finn Hudson’s their leader, there’s no doubt they’re being led to failure.

“And after Santana ran off, we all went looking for her, of course. Who cares who won if our friend’s hurting? But Finn- he just- he kept saying it wasn’t his fault, that he didn’t know Reggie’s daughter went to school with us. And it’s like, okay, but that’s not the issue. Not really. Momma, I didn’t- I didn’t tell you this, but McKinley’s got a history with bullying queer kids.” Pam doesn’t look particularly surprised but she leans in to kiss Blaine on the temple and whispers _ it’s okay_. “And Finn _ was _ there when Kurt was being bullied really, really badly. He’s seen how kids who are out are treated and he just- opened Santana up to start copping all of that, too. Maybe people knew about her and Brittany already, but nobody _ cared _ because they were two hot cheerleaders. That’s every other straight guy’s fantasy. But putting a name to it... it’s just... a whole new step, you know? It’s a confirmation. And don’t even get me _ started _ on the fact Santana didn’t get to tell her parents herself.”

Pam looks particularly troubled at that last sentence and Sebastian wonders how long it’ll be before Mr. and Mrs. Lopez end up with a concerned Pamela Anderson on their doorstep. It seems like something she’d do, reach out and try to help them understand. He wonders if Santana would appreciate it at all.

“I just- Santana shouldn’t have hit Finn, I know that.” Blaine says quietly, finally losing steam. “But there’s no way she should be punished for it, not when Principal Figgins isn’t going to do a _ single _ thing to Finn. It isn’t _ fair_.”

“Nothing’s fair.” Sebastian knows it’s not what anyone else wants to hear, but it’s true. Nothing’s fair. Especially for kids like them.

_ -ss- _

The drive to Scandals is quiet.

There’s a lot of things Sebastian wants to ask Blaine, but he’s not sure where to start - why exactly did Lopez leave the New Directions in the first place? Why does Cooper seem like such an asshole? What the fuck is up with Blaine’s dad? Is he okay? Where the fuck has Hummel been all day?

Sebastian Smythe is a lot of things but he’s no fool, so instead of stuttering his way through all his questions, he decides to stay quiet.

It gives him time to think, anyway.

He’s had a lot of weird Saturdays in his life, but spending this Saturday with the Andersons definitely takes the cake for _ weirdest day of his fucking life _. There’s something deeply loving between Blaine and Pam, a bond he finds himself yearning for. It takes him a lot to genuinely admit to missing his mother, but he does. His mom had a lot of her own issues but she’d loved Sebastian with all her heart and he had done the same to her.

He isn’t wondering if she misses him at all. He _ isn’t_.

Spending the day with Blaine and Pam reminds him so much of his own mother. It makes him feel vulnerable. Sebastian doesn’t _ do _ vulnerable.

He glances over at Blaine as covertly as possible, though he doubts he needs to try and be sneaky about it - Blaine’s present enough to be paying attention to the road, but his mind seems like it’s elsewhere. 

Being with Blaine... it’s strange. Sebastian’s long-since ditched the idea he’s only bothering with Blaine in the hopes of a nice lay (though that’s definitely still a reason), but he’s not sure what he expects now. Friendship? He’s always said he doesn’t want to be Blaine Anderson’s new best friend, and that’s still true.

But it’s not like he knows how else to describe them. They’re friends. Hell, Blaine probably _ is _ his best friend.

God.

“Are you okay?” Blaine asks. Sebastian blinks and realises they’re parked just a little down the road from Scandals. Holy shit, how long had he been thinking? Blaine doesn’t even live _ in _ Lima. Close enough, of course. But long enough that a whole drive shouldn’t go _ that _ quickly. 

“Yeah. Just thinking about your ass.” Sebastian smirks over at Blaine who he can tell is blushing, even in the low light. “You good?”

Blaine looks thoughtful and for a long moment Sebastian thinks he might get an actual answer, but then the other boy shrugs. “I will be.”

It feels like the most honest answer Blaine’s going to give, so Sebastian takes it as a win.

_ -ss- _

**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ mandatory ‘i got back to dalton safe’ text. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ :) _  
_ Don’t let Thad drive you crazy tomorrow. _  
_ Mom wants to invite you back for dinner after Sectionals is over. What should I tell her? _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ wouldn’t miss it, killer. _  
_ see you on friday? _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_For sure. Good luck! x_

_ -ss- _

For all the shit Sebastian likes to give David and Thad, he knows for a fact that he’s going to be a _ thousand _ times worse when he takes up his captain position. Everyone else seems to know it too if the unamused looks Nick and Trent are constantly giving him are any indication.

The week of Sectionals is _ literal _ hell. Sebastian would understand and even support it if they were up against New Directions or Vocal Adrenaline, but their supposed-competition are such non-factors that Sebastian’s pretty sure they could stick Nick up on stage mid-panic attack and still win. 

(Watch as the bird school has a secret Rachel Berry. The Unitards do, it’s not a huge jump to think that every other school in the district might too.)

Jeff and Nick have kicked planning for their party into high-gear though, so that’s _ something_. They’ve dragged Sebastian in to help too, which would be annoying if he wasn’t looking forward to a chance to unwind. 

It’s weird, actually.

Here’s the thing: Sebastian’s never been at odds with any of the other Warblers. Some have taken his quips too personally or don’t understand his snark, but those are issues easily smoothed over.

But there’s a reason he thinks Blaine might just be his best friend. Sebastian and the Warblers coexist well enough, work wonderfully together for performances, but he’s never been particularly friendly to any of them bar David and Thad. And now he has Jeff and Nick, who are genuinely showing interest in his friendship. It makes him uncomfortable. 

He’s not going to become friends with them, of course. Friendship makes everything difficult (see: Blaine) and he’s going to be their captain in a matter of _ days_, he can’t afford to be mixed up when the time comes. 

But he needs to be friendly, Sebastian’s sure of that. They’re both still talking to Blaine and if he treats them like shit, he has no doubt that they’ll tell Blaine and that is not something he wants to deal with.

So he plays nice with Duval and Sterling. Sue him.

They’re going to be seniors next year too so Sebastian tells himself he’s securing their future vote for him to retain his captaincy. Then again, it’s not like any of these other idiots would do a _ good _ job, let alone a brilliant one.

Except maybe Beatbox.

Sebastian’s going to keep an eye on Beatbox.

_ -ss- _

Blaine’s busy this week, too - New Directions is dedicating a week to chick music, which Blaine gleefully informs him is _ kind of his thing_. Sebastian tells him that he knows and also that Trent is still holding a grudge against him for that one time he suggested P!nk.

Blaine calls him sometime after that text with, “Trent’s upset that you suggested the Warblers perform So What in front of a bunch of preschoolers!”

“Your point, killer?”

Blaine’s quiet for a small moment. Then, “You’re going to be captain soon, Bas. The Warblers don’t respond well to change and you... you go against _ every _ tradition. It’s exciting to me, but I know that for a lot of them- Trent, for example- it’s just plain scary.” It’s a startlingly sincere answer and a point that Sebastian hadn’t seriously considered. David had mentioned the Warblers’ being slaves to tradition but at the time, Sebastian saw it as a challenge. 

It still is, admittedly.

But now it’s another in, too: empathize. _ I understand _ , he’ll say. _ But our old ways weren’t working- we haven’t been to Nationals in over a decade and I just want to bring our trophy back where it belongs. _

“Thanks.” Sebastian says eventually.

“No problem.” Blaine pauses and Sebastian’s getting ready to hang up but then Blaine speaks again, “I’m rapping today. Want me to get someone to record it?”

“Oh my _ God_, yes.”

_ -ss- _

Puckerman is the nominated recorder apparently, because Sebastian can barely hear Blaine and Hummel over his commentary. 

Which is probably for the best because if Sebastian knows _ anything _ about Blaine, it’s that he can turn just about anything into an opportunity to talk about how much he loves his boyfriend and how great a relationship they have.

(Two Wednesday’s ago says different but Sebastian’s not sure if he’s ready to have that fight yet. Right now he doesn’t know enough and he hasn’t figured out how to steel himself against the patented Anderson puppy-dog eyes. If he has this fight now, he will lose. And Smythe’s _ don’t _lose.)

Blaine and Hummel sing a butchered version of P!nk’s _ Fuckin’ Perfect _ which is a shame because Blaine swearing is hot enough in his fantasies, let alone in real life. They’re apparently singing it to Santana too, which makes the word change even more confusing. They’re allowed to swear in public school, right?

Puckerman apparently agrees, because he whispers to whoever’s sitting next to him, “_Fucking pussies._” and gets in return, “_Puck! Hush now._”

Oh. Right. They actually have a teacher instructor. 

It kind of sucks to admit but Blaine and Hummel do actually sound good together. They’ve come a long way since _ Candles _ (yes, Sebastian’s seen _ all _ the YouTube videos). Sebastian’s still 100% sure he and Blaine would sound better together, but a duet will come in time. 

There’s something a little awkward to their performance though, in all honesty - he thinks it has to do with how they’re standing, at least in the beginning. Blaine’s turned towards Kurt, singing solely to him while Kurt’s turned to face the audience, split between singing to them and Blaine both. Blaine mentioned it was their first duet for an assignment so it could be that, but again: he’s seen _ Candles_.

So Blaine and Hummel either don’t know how to perform a duet in front of people or they straight-up don’t have performance chemistry. Sebastian hopes it’s the latter. 

And then Blaine’s rapping. _ Jesus _.

It’s not strictly awful, which is probably the worst thing. Blaine has some rhythm and he enunciates well enough, but... it’s so weird to see Blaine _ rapping_. What the fuck is public school doing to him.

Puckerman treats him with a quick shot of Santana, who’s looking at Blaine like he just killed her cat. Honestly? Mood.

They segue back into singing which is definitely for the best and the shot’s moving back and forth, no doubt because Puckerman’s dancing along - Sebastian tries to envision the choir room at that point, sees Santana still looking absolutely foul but everyone else bouncing along with the performance. It’s a cute little vision, if decidedly strange because two groups of competitors should _ not _ be dancing together.

New Directions have always been a little off-beat, though. It only makes sense that the Troubletones would be too.

The video ends with Blaine and Hummel grinning at each other which is enough to make Sebastian want to throw up, but he thumbs out of his messages before he gives it too much thought.

Blaine _ rapping_. Huh. He’s definitely gonna dream about that tonight.

_ -ss- _

During Warblers practice Monday afternoon, Sebastian gets a phone call. He’s prepared to let it ring out because of all the people he knows, Blaine’s the only person who ever calls and as much as he wants to talk to Blaine, practice comes first.

But then he thinks of his mother and her promise to call him when she was ready, so he chances Thad’s wrath and checks his phone to see who’s calling and-

_ William Smythe calling... _

Huh.

“Thad, I’ll be right back.” Sebastian barks, barely sparing Thad a second glance as he strides out of the room.

“I didn’t think you were going to answer.” Sebastian’s father says by way of greeting, though Sebastian knows his dad well enough to hear the silent reprimand in what he’s said. 

“Sorry, pops.” Sebastian responds. “We’re in practice for Sectionals, I didn’t hear it ringing.” A lie of course, and only an _ idiot _ would lie to William Smythe, but Sebastian’s his son. Special privileges or whatever.

(Or there’s the fact that no matter how well Sebastian’s getting along with his father now, they’re not close enough to be able to tell when the other is lying. But special privileges sounds better.)

“Sectionals? For that... uh, singing thing you do. Right?”

“Yes, the singing thing.” Sebastian answers somewhat patiently. He really does appreciate that his father’s trying to understand all his hobbies, but it’s really not the optimal time for Sebastian to give a rundown of every club and society he’s joined at Dalton. “And I really need to get back to it, so what’s up? Has something happened?” _ Oh God. _ “Is mom okay?”

“She’s fine, son.” his dad says, quickly doing away with Sebastian’s worry. He’s glad for it. “If it’s a bad time, I can call back. I don’t want to interrupt your preparations.”

“You already have so might as well just tell me.” Sebastian retorts, trying his best not to sound snappy but definitely failing. What the fuck is this? His dad just happens to call in the middle of rehearsal to talk in circles? Great.

“_Sebastian_.” his dad reproaches firmly but then takes a deep breath. “I’ll be back in town this weekend. Felicity will be there too.”

“Ugh.”

“_Sebastian_!”

“Will you be here Friday night?” Sebastian asks, swiftly changing the subject. No way is he getting into _ another _ fight with his dad over his new twentysomething girlfriend. “I won’t be able to have dinner if you are. It’s Sectionals.”

“Really?” his dad asks in return, sounding rather thoughtful. Uh oh. That doesn’t bode well. “We’ll be landing around lunch, perhaps Felicity and I could come support you.”

“Sure. I’d like that.” Sebastian says. There’s nothing he’d like less, honestly. Well, if Hummel kissed him...

_ Ugh_. Maybe that’ll be his new boner killer.

“Wonderful!” his dad sounds honestly pleased, so Sebastian figures this lie is mostly harmless. William Smythe is a lot of things, but his mother’s always made it abundantly clear he was very adverse to the arts before meeting her - she wondered aloud on more than a few occasions if he’d returned to his hating ways after the divorce. The fact that he’s showing _ interest_? It kind of throws fourteen year old Sebastian for a loop, but in the best way possible. Maybe he and his dad do stand a chance. “I’ll get my secretary to email my itinerary to you ASAP, just shoot me a reply if you’re pencilled in for something you can’t make - I’m sure you boys will be having a victory party after you inevitably win.”

“Thanks, pops.” Sebastian says after a long pause. “I’ll see you on Friday.”

“No problem, son.” his dad responds softly. “Rehearse hard and show these other schools they don’t stand a chance against us Smythes, alright?”

_ -ss- _

Rehearsal otherwise goes smoothly enough, if you ignore the solid five minute block Thad spent pacing around the council table after Sebastian kindly reminded him that he was going to throw that table out as penance for his dictatorship. It was made worse by just about everyone (bar David) agreeing, too.

Sebastian, wanting to get rehearsal over with, promised they could negotiate something after this week was over. Sebastian was lying, naturally. He is going to watch that thing _ burn_, along with Thad’s beloved gavel.

It’s going to be brilliant.

After rehearsal, Jeff and Nick drag Sebastian along with them to grab dinner out in Westerville and he takes great pleasure in telling them that subtlety is _ really _ not their strong suit, but he appreciates the good food. Trent comes along too, and actually spends the meal _ not _ attempting to glare a hole in the side of Sebastian’s head. It’s a bona-fide Sectionals miracle.

The four of them have a nice dinner together, actually - Jeff and Nick have one too many private jokes, but Trent seems just as clueless as Sebastian is, so that puts him a little more at ease. The other three all tease him about spending time with Blaine, but when Nick comments, “_it kind of makes sense in a weird way._” the other two are frantically nodding along with him, so he figures they’re not actually making fun of him. Which is good because no matter how much he knows he has to be nice to all three of them, he’ll gladly make them regret ever trying to ridicule him. 

Speaking of Blaine, he does call about halfway through the meal. Jeff snatches his phone before Sebastian’s even aware it’s ringing and puts it on speaker so everyone at the table can very clearly hear Blaine’s, “_Bas, hi!_” so Sebastian figures that nickname’s about to catch on.

Blaine takes the extra three people in his stride, basically becoming a fifth person at the table as they finish their meals. It makes Sebastian wonder what would’ve happened if Blaine hadn’t followed Hummel to McKinley, if this would be their _ every night_. 

On the ride home, Sebastian takes his phone off of speakerphone and talks to Blaine in relative privacy, even if he’s sure everyone’s trying to listen in over the music.

“What did you think of the rapping?”

“_Fuck_, B. Please tell me you’re going to do that at Regionals. There is no _ way _ we’ll lose if you do.”

“Hey!”

_ -ss- _

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ IT’S MS. CORCORAN!!! _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ ? _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ HOT FOR TEACHER. _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ oh. _  
_ OH. _  
_ didn’t you say she adopted his kid or something? _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ Yes. _  
_ He dated Rach, too. _  
_ Ms. Corcoran’s her mother. _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
why do public schools get all the fun drama?

Blaine calls him at lunch to give him the low-down, which is apparently Puckerman sang _ I’m The Only One _ looking solely at Ms. Corcoran and Kurt thinks he’s crazy, but _ seriously _, Bas, if you were there, you’d totally agree-

“Killer,” Sebastian chuckles into the receiver, cutting off Blaine’s ramble. “I already agree. Just keep me updated, okay? No _ way _ this doesn’t blow up in everyone’s faces.”

Seriously, if someone as oblivious as _ Blaine _ can pick Puckerman’s crush, this kid has serious issues. A teacher/student relationship will only inflate them. _ Delicious_.

_ -ss- _

The rest of Sebastian’s week is a haze of classes, rehearsals and keeping up with McKinley drama through Blaine. Also, a lot of planning Thad’s murder.

Actually, it’s mostly that last one. Seriously. Forget Puckerman, Harwood was secretly Kim Jong-un in a previous life, the sadistic fucker.

But there’s a message he gets on Wednesday afternoon that has him revising that statement (again): Lopez has the most issues, fuck everyone else. How is _ Sebastian _ the one holding a grudge against Hudson on her behalf? Holy shit.

The Warblers get excused from all their classes on Thursday and Friday (seriously, the staff needs to chill with the favoritism) and spend both days locked up in the Warbler commons, Beatbox leading them in their backing harmonies and Sebastian helping everyone nail down the choreography. Thad’s too busy having a mental breakdown under the table, so with Nick and Sebastian agreeing that they’re confident in their solos, they’re free to focus on the other aspects of their performance. 

Blaine’s texting more than usual on Thursday, even if Sebastian has a lot less opportunities to reply - David literally takes his phone after lunch because he’s apparently been slacking too much which may or may not lead to a screaming match between the two of them because _ I’ve been walking this whole club through our choreography and what’ve you been doing? Oh yeah, holding your boyfriend’s hand because his neuroticism finally fucking caught up to him! _

(Jeff sneaks him his phone back an hour later and he’s suddenly very grateful Jeff and Nick have decided he’s their new best friend.)

It’s student election day and Blaine’s worried that Kurt won’t pull through with the win and there’s also some drama going on with Lopez (when _ isn’t _ there drama with Lopez is beginning to be the real question) and Sebastian tells him, in no uncertain terms, how much he _ doesn’t _ care about either issue which means Blaine sends back every single variation of sad emoji. It’s annoying.

It’s definitely _ not _ endearing.

Sebastian gets a good laugh out of a short clip of the McKinley girls singing _ I Kissed A Girl_, though. Blaine even treats him with a follow-up photo of the exchange student who looks thoroughly hot and bothered. 

After that, Blaine’s weirdly quiet for the rest of the day. It’s weird not to get a goodnight text.

Blaine’s quiet for a lot of Friday too, but Sebastian’s way too preoccupied with rehearsal to think about it too long. Thad’s come out of hiding but seems at least moderately more sane, so the club is finally on the same wavelength. They run through the medley a hundred times with various members sitting out to point out potential flaws or weaknesses but thankfully, none are really found; with every run through, they just get tighter, their vocals get clearer, it’s all _ finally _ coming together.

The Warblers would’ve won this competition at their worst, but now that they’re at their best, it’s going to be a fucking bloodbath. 

When Sebastian finally gets a spare moment to check his phone to see if his dad’s landed yet, there’s a few texts from Blaine.

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ Santana’s parents are supporting her. Her abuela isn’t. _  
_ My mom’s already threatening to go over and talk to her. _ _  
_ _ Help. My mom listens to you! _

So... Hummel lost the election, then. Color him surprised.

**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ i’m not going to see your mom until next sunday, killer. figure it out yourself. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ Oh wow, I didn’t think Thad would be letting you guys use your phones. Good luck!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I’ll see you after! _

Then Blaine sends a string of what Sebastian thinks are meant to be celebratory emojis but honestly, they’re above him. The only emojis he’s ever used are the eggplant and sweat drops, for obvious reasons.

**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ blow me a kiss from the audience. _

_ -ss- _

They’re going last, which is either the best thing or the worst thing. Thad jumps between each option approximately every five seconds and Sebastian’s too focused on getting ready for their performance to bother keeping up. The juvie chicks go first with a sub-par pair of Beyoncé songs, followed up by the bird school doing... uh, something. Sebastian watched their whole performance and still doesn’t know what the fuck they were singing.

The audience seems just as unenthused by the first two performances, too. Sebastian sneaks a look out from the curtain to spot either his dad or Blaine, but he’s surprised to find them sitting together. Felicity’s sitting on his dad’s other side, busy texting away on her phone and looking decidedly uninterested but his dad and Blaine are chatting around the performances, seeming pleasant enough.

Sebastian isn’t sure sure whether this is a good or a bad thing, but he can’t afford to think about it right now: he’ll be talking to them in twenty minutes, tops. He’ll know how things panned out then. 

And then the Warblers’ performance begins with Thad alone on stage, softly singing the opening verse to _ With A Little Help From My Friends_. Everyone joins him on stage eventually, harmonizing along and moving in perfect synchronization - it’s _ everything _ Sebastian wanted it to be. The audience is singing along, smiling delightedly and Blaine doesn’t blow him a kiss, but he’s beaming at Sebastian like he’s the only thing in the room which feels _ so much better _.

The song ends eventually with Thad stepping back into the back formation and Sebastian taking his front spot, leading the Warblers- and the audience- into _ Come Together_. Sebastian chances a look at his dad, who’s gazing back at him with a strange sort of melancholy on his face. He looks pleased though and Sebastian’s glad tomorrow’s lunch won’t be full of his dad reprimanding his decision to join the Warblers. 

The formation changes at the end of _ Come Together_, freeing up a lot more - Sebastian set the choreography to this on his own, and it’s what he hopes to have the club work towards under his captaincy but tonight is his test run. Can the Warblers pull it off? Will the audience love it?

Nick brings the medley to a close with _ We Can Work It Out _ and before they’re even halfway through the number, Sebastian knows the answer to his two questions is a resounding _ yes _ on both counts. The audience are on their feet, clapping to beat and singing along with Nick - some of the younger children are even trying to dance along with the Warblers and for a split moment, Sebastian _ gets _ the appeal of children. Not his own, but other people’s. 

When Nick steps back into formation and the Warblers take a deep bow as one, the auditorium practically bursts into applause. If Sebastian listens hard enough, he thinks he can hear his dad yelling, _ that’s my boy! That’s my son! _ and it might just be one of the best things he’s ever heard.

_ -ss- _

The Warblers win, surprising nobody.

Sebastian’s getting a ride back to his father’s house with the man himself, so he bids everyone goodnight and makes a million promises to show his face at Jeff and Nick’s party tomorrow night (_ honestly_, do they even know him at all? Since when did Sebastian Smythe skip a chance to party?) before going and looking for Blaine and his dad. They’re not where they were sitting in the audience and he doesn’t have any texts from either of them so he’s kind of flying blind.

Eventually he finds them out in the foyer, sitting on a pair of couches that look _ way _ too ratty for his dad to even consider looking at, let alone sitting on. The two of them are still chatting but even Felicity’s paying attention now, arm hooked around his dad’s bicep as she listens attentively to Blaine.

_ Maybe us Smythe’s just have a natural weakness for Anderson’s. _ Sebastian muses, then immediately wants to jump off a cliff at referring to Felicity as a fellow Smythe.

“Looks like I don’t need to introduce you two after all.” Sebastian says by way of greeting, sitting down next to Blaine. Felicity rolls her eyes at his purposeful exclusion of her and his dad gives him a hard look that gives way to a proud smile as he leans forward to clasp Sebastian’s knee.

“Son, you were great out there. Blaine here, he’s been telling me all about how hard you Warblers work and I must say, I’m very impressed.” William Smythe might be a lot of things, but he’s certainly not a smooth talker - if he’s saying something like this, he wholeheartedly means it. His genuinity means a lot to Sebastian, even if he’ll never admit it.

“Thanks, dad.” Sebastian pats his hand once and it’s probably the closest they’ve gotten to a hug since Sebastian came back from France, which is exactly how they like it. “Did you guys have a good time?” 

Felicity goes to speak first before cutting herself off and watching him warily, until his dad nudges her softly. Then, “That bird school was straight-weird, wasn’t it?”

“Yeah,” Sebastian agrees, lips quirking in amusement. “Straight-weird.”

Felicity and his dad launch into a conversation about his dad’s new-found hobby of bird-watching (what even) so Sebastian turns to Blaine, who’s looking more than a little distracted now that his dad’s attention is elsewhere. “You good, killer?”

Blaine jumps a little in his seat, glancing up at Sebastian with wide eyes. “Huh?” Then he seems to come back to himself, giving a quick shake of his head. “Of course. Bas, you didn’t tell me you had a _ solo _\- that’s huge! How could you not tell me?”

“Wanted to surprise you.” Sebastian answers lazily, but the gaze he’s directing at Blaine is painfully alert. “What’s with the subject change? Something happen with Lopez?”

“No, of course not- I’d tell you _ that_.” Blaine says hurriedly, helplessly looking up at Sebastian. “Kurt lost the election.”

“That’s not even close to what’s bothering you _ this much_, come on. Hummel will have other opportunities. Or he can even apply to more schools.”

Blaine winces, which Sebastian is pretty sure means that he agrees but is too whipped to say so. “He really has his heart set on NYADA.” And then, after a small beat, “That’s not even the problem though, really. Someone stuffed the ballot boxes.”

“Huh?” Sebastian hums, quirking a brow. He knows he’s been busy this week but Blaine’s been pretty dutiful in keeping him up with the general happenings of McKinley, even if it was just him recounting Hudson’s latest douchebag move. How did Blaine not mention that? “Who? Hummel that desperate?”

“No, of course not.” Blaine says, a little too quickly. Sebastian’s about to call him out on it but Blaine continues on with, “It was Rachel.”

Huh. Berry has balls. Sebastian knows he shouldn’t be as surprised as he is, but here he is. “And?”

“She’s banned from Sectionals.” Blaine bites his lip, playing with his hands that are lain in his lap. “We’ve already lost Mercedes and Santana and now we just lost our other _ huge _ voice. I... I don’t know how we come back from this, Bas.” 

That reminds him, actually. “Why did Lopez leave? When you mentioned it last weekend, your mom was kind of weird.” By _ weird _ he means _ held you closer_, but he’s gone so long without maternal affection that he feels vindicated in finding it weird.

“Oh. It’s a- a long story. Um... I don’t really remember, but I- I performed something and she didn’t really like that. She was just worried I was going to try and turn New Directions in to the Warblers, I think. Like I was going to turn them into _ Blaine and the Pips 2.0._” There’s something awfully bitter to Blaine’s laugh at that. Sebastian kind of wants to hurt whoever called the Warblers _ Blaine and the Pips 1.0. _ Maybe it was Hummel, he always wants an excuse to hit him. “Anyway... I think she had a lot of stuff going on and she was sick of playing second fiddle to Rachel so when the Troubletones came along, she just hopped on that train. And... I mean, good for her, you know? She’s doing _ amazing _ stuff there. I just... feel bad. I never wanted to make New Directions about me, I never even wanted to make the Warblers about me.” Blaine pauses for a long moment, biting his lip again before sighing. “I just wanted to be part of the team. I wanted to belong.”

Before Sebastian can even think of how to respond to that (and _ oh God _, is that empathy he’s feeling?), his dad leans over to their side again and says, “Son, would your friend like to come to dinner with us? I’d love to keep getting to know you, Blaine.”

When Sebastian looks back at Blaine, all signs of his previous rant are gone and he’s smiling pleasantly at Sebastian’s father, though there’s something distinctly show-y to it that Sebastian doesn’t like. “I would love to Mr. Smythe, but my mother’s waiting for me at home. Maybe Sebastian can let me know next time you’re in town and we can set up something.”

When William nods in the affirmative, Blaine stands up and leans over to press a kiss to Felicity’s cheek and when he’s shaking Sebastian’s dad’s hand, says, “It was lovely to meet you two. I hope you have a wonderful visit.” Then he turns to Sebastian, looking distinctly uncomfortable. “I’ll see you at Sectionals next week?”

Huh. Why does that feel like a dismissal?

_ I just wanted to be part of the team. I wanted to belong. _

Considering Sebastian had his heart set on being the enigma in their relationship, Blaine’s really giving him a go for his money.


	3. now i know i've got to take control

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ...remembering his words after the Warblers’ Sectionals performance. _I just wanted to belong_. He’s always belonged, hasn’t he? Or is the problem the fact that he doesn’t belong with New Directions?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not including Extraordinary Merry Christmas because in trying to give season 3 a cohesive timeline, I’ve kind of fucked over the holiday episodes (oops?). This chapter includes the episodes Hold On To Sixteen and Yes/No!

Despite helping with the planning, come Saturday night Sebastian fully expected to find that reports of the epicness of Duval-Sterling parties had been greatly exaggerated. 

It’s probably the one time he’s glad to be proven wrong.

By the time he gets to the address Jeff texted him, the party already seems well on its way to off-the-rails. Lucky for whoever’s house this is, there’s no neighbours for literal miles so no chance of a cop visit. It’s the small things in life.

Sebastian pushes his way into the house, stopping and greeting someone new every step he takes - he wouldn’t be surprised to discover that the entire student body of Dalton was in attendance, he seriously can barely breathe without knocking into someone. It’s kind of amazing.

David’s the first Warbler he spots so Sebastian stops playing nice and starts pushing his way towards him, hoping David knows where the fuck Jeff is. Sebastian had him hold onto his courvoisier because if he knows one thing about William Smythe, it’s that he’s borderline paranoid at the best of times - trying to sneak booze by him? Big, _ big _ no-no.

“Smythe!” David greets when Sebastian’s in his general area, raising a crystal glass in his direction. “About time, Trent was trying to set a pool on whether you were coming or not!”

“Let me guess: he voted no.” Sebastian snarks, pushing away some runt from the swimming team who is refusing to fucking move. No matter how much Trent may warm up to him, Sebastian’s pretty sure there’s always going to be some modicum of wariness there. “You know where Sterling is?” 

“Out back.” David answers, grabbing onto Sebastian’s arm and dragging him through the crowd. He’s surprised to find he doesn’t mind. David’s a lot broader than Sebastian is, so people are scrambling to get out of his path and _ honestly_, having to fight through crowds is exhausting. “Hey,” David says as they’re maybe in the kitchen and the crowds are starting to thin a little. “Blaine was at the show last night. Did you get to see him? None of us could find him before the bus left.”

The last thing Sebastian wants to do is talk about Blaine who has been ignoring his texts all day, but the question seems innocent enough. “Yeah, he was with my dad. Some McKinley drama happened, he probably avoided you guys. You know how he is.”

David abruptly stops at that, turning around to face Sebastian as he finally drops his arm. “Yeah, I do.” he says quietly, making Sebastian strain to hear him over the music. “How do _ you _ know how he is, Sebastian?”

_ Ah_. David and Thad have been so busy trying to drive every last Warbler into the ground that they apparently missed Jeff, Nick and Trent freaking out about Blaine and Sebastian’s new-found friendship at every opportunity. “We’re friends, I guess. I took him for coffee after _ Uptown_. We’ve been hanging out since.”

David’s still watching him warily, but at least the tension in his shoulders seems to have faded. Sebastian spends approximately half a second wondering why David is so protective of Blaine before remembering _ he doesn’t care_, at least not for tonight. “Be good to him.” David says eventually, then resumes his walk through the house, obviously expecting Sebastian to follow.

That’s _ Sebastian’s _ thing. Fucking David. When he’s not being Thad’s right-hand man, he’s apparently a cheeky shit. Sebastian kind of adores him for it. 

David eventually leads him outside where the cool Ohio chill is very much making itself known. Jeff’s sitting up on the railing, gazing out into the nearby forestry. Sebastian feels more than a little awkward walking in on the moment because as much as Jeff’s been pushing himself into Sebastian’s life, he’s never seen the other boy look this thoughtful before. It almost feels like he’s intruding on something private.

Jeff must notice them out of the corner of his eye, because he shakes himself before jumping down from the railing. “Bas!” _ God, that nickname. _ “I didn’t think you were coming.”

Seriously, the Warblers apparently don’t know him at all. Sebastian Smythe doesn’t skip out on a chance to party, especially after spending nearly twenty-four hours with his father and Felicity. They’re more than a little exhausting. “You literally made me pinky-promise, Sterling.” Sebastian points out with an amused smirk. “And then told me _ bad things _ would happen if I broke it. It was like talking to a child.”

“I was running on adrenaline!” Jeff protests, and Sebastian can’t tell if the flush on his cheeks is due to the cold or his embarrassment, but he’s going to believe the latter.

“Sure.”

“I have your weird alcohol, by the way.” Jeff points over to the nearby dining set, where there’s a big pile of shit people have no-doubt asked Jeff to hold on to. 

“It’s not _ weird_,” Sebastian asserts, beginning to sort through the pile. How much tequila did people want to bring to this thing? Gross. “It’s _ cognac_.” 

“People under fifty drink cognac?” David pipes up, then glances around Sebastian to give the paraphernalia pile a closer look. “Jeff, I’m pretty sure your house counts as a brewery at this point.”

_ Wait_.

“This is your place, Jeff?” Sebastian asks, completely ignoring David’s less-than-subtle attempt at shade. Usually he’d rise to the bait, but he’d thought Jeff and Nick just blackmailed someone else into letting them use this house. It’s just- there’s nothing about Jeff that particularly screams _ isolated house on the outskirts of Westerville_, especially not one as gorgeous at this. 

“Yeah!” Jeff answers, stepping over to help Sebastian sort through everything. “I mean, it’s my grandpa’s. My family actually lives _ in _ Westerville, but all the extended family use this place when we want to.”

That makes a little more sense.

“Cool.” Sebastian murmurs, tuning out of the conversation David and Jeff start having as he looks for his fucking courvoisier. If Jeff lost it, Sebastian will absolutely murder him.

After five minutes of searching through far more tequila than should be allowed, he’s just about to give up and start hurling bottles towards the trees but Jeff’s poking him with the cap of a- _ oh_.

“Sterling,” Sebastian says, very seriously. “You’re my new best friend.”

_ -ss- _

Sebastian ends up spending the night with the lacrosse team, more or less. He knows David and Thad taking him out of the last few practices has definitely stirred up some bad blood, and he wants to try and smooth it over as much as possible - thankfully, the captain’s totally understanding and the lacrosse team are basically all Shane’s bitches. Doesn’t stop the more idiotic of them from trying to piss Sebastian off, but a hard glare from Shane has them stopping in their tracks.

A few Warblers stop by to talk to him, which is surprisingly nice. Trent doesn’t, of course - Sebastian does spot him across the room a few times, but Trent doesn’t glare back at him when they lock gazes. Just gives a shy wave and goes back to his previous conversation. Huh.

As the night barrels on, the lacrosse guys get more and more rowdy. Or at least, as rowdy as a bunch of prep schoolers can. Sebastian talks a _ lot _ of shit about public schools, but at least the students are way better at partying. He’s pretty sure it’s because their lives are so miserable otherwise. Maybe he’ll have to get Blaine to invite him to a McKinley party.

But rowdy lacrosse guys mean one thing: they all turn into neanderthals, trying to one-up each other with stories about previous sexual encounters. Most of them even try to get Sebastian in on the competition, which would be touching if he hadn’t heard one too prep school boys acting like they’re a God among men because they ate some pussy. 

Instead he excuses himself, claps Shane on the shoulder as he goes and tries to spot someone he can maybe persuade up to help him soil where Jeff’s sleeping tonight.

Thankfully, Dalton’s practically crawling with closeted guys and none of them know how to deny Sebastian, so he’s found someone within five minutes.

And if he pretends this kid- _ Isaac_, he thinks- has darker hair and brighter eyes and is a little shorter, well. Nobody else has to know, do they?

_ -ss- _

**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_ you done ignoring me? _   
_ i’ll take that as a no. _ _   
_ _ don’t take your issues out on me, b. _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_ I’m not ignoring you. _ _   
_ _ We’re in crunch time for Sectionals, which means I literally have NO time. _ _   
_ _ I’ll see you Friday, okay? My mom wants to sit near the Warblers, so you’ll see her too. _   
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_ why isn’t she sitting with the other nd parents? _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_ I think she just misses the guys. _   
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_ the guys miss you. _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_ I miss them. _ _   
_ _ I have to go, Mike’s called time on our break. _ _   
_ _ Are you free tonight? I think I might have time to call you. _   
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_ i’ll try to be, just for you. _

Blaine doesn’t call. Sebastian pretends to be surprised.

_ -ss- _

The Warblers take a week off from rehearsal so that Sebastian and Thad can get their affairs in order. David organises a few workshops through the week so they can watch back through their performance and analyse it, so at least it’s not completely wasted because _ seriously_, Sebastian is getting nowhere with Thad.

Sebastian went into this knowing Thad is by-far the most stubborn of all the Warblers, but he honestly hoped that Thad would leave his issues at the door. 

Instead, Sebastian’s spending at least one hour a day in the Warbler commons, more or less constantly yelling at Thad. It’s _ exhausting_, especially since Thad was the one who agreed to let Sebastian take over. He didn’t even have to try and blackmail him into it.

All it had taken was a little _ we haven’t won a Nationals trophy in a long time, don’t you think we need to shake things up? _ and a half-hearted promise to give Thad more power than the average Warbler. Sebastian does plan on following that up, if only because he knows the importance of keeping his promises.

But _ still_. Sebastian just wanted to know how things worked behind the scenes - they don’t have a teacher instructor like most of the other glee clubs they’re competing against, but he knows that the council did work closely with the Head of Arts when it came to setlists and the like. Thad’s supposed to be guiding him in this, not making it a literal nightmare.

Fuck David for skipping out on this.

Monday’s meeting results in nothing but frustration and Thad threatening to go back on his decision (Sebastian gladly reminds him that _ he can’t_, the Dean’s already signed off on it) so Sebastian finds himself back at the Lima Bean, craving some halfway decent coffee.

Or maybe a glimpse of a handsome former Warbler. You know, whichever. 

“...I _ know _ what I’m doing.”

Well, it seems Sebastian’s in luck on both counts. Sort of. There has to be better coffee _ somewhere _ closer to Westerville.

Blaine and Kurt are sitting near the front of the cafe, Hummel frantically writing- oh _ no_, is that a Lima Bean application, holy _ shit_\- as Blaine talks. Whatever he’s talking about, Blaine seems awfully worked up about it but Kurt’s barely looked up from his application. What a jackass.

“Hey guys.” Sebastian greets, grinning solely at Blaine who’s looking vaguely abashed, which... Good. Sebastian didn’t sit around waiting for his call or anything, but the whole thing was pretty rude, especially from Blaine I-don’t-know-how-to-be-anything-but-disgustingly-polite Anderson. Hummel’s probably rolling his eyes, but Sebastian doesn’t even spare him a glance as he sits down beside Blaine who’s now smiling at him. It feels nice. “It is _ so _ crazy... I’m sitting over there just checking out this guy, and all of a sudden I’m like _ wait a second, I know that hair_.”

Hummel’s glare is burning a hole in the side of his face, so Sebastian throws him a wink before focusing back on Blaine. “What’s up, buddy? You left me waiting for your call last night.” Kurt’s glare suddenly shifts, settling on Blaine who seems uncomfortable at the attention. _ Ugh_. Kurt is the worst. “Hi, Kurt.” Sebastian says, hoping to take at least a little heat off of Blaine.

Blaine shifts in his seat, leaning a little forward as if that’s going to break Kurt and Sebastian’s locked gaze. “We’ve been really busy with Glee Club.”

Hummel finally glances away, following up with a, “Practicing for Sectionals. Together.” as he reaches out to place his hand on Blaine’s free one. _ Vom_.

Sebastian smirks amusedly over at Kurt, because honestly? He makes fun of Jeff and Nick for being the least subtle people on the planet but Hummel’s worse than the two of them combined. Even Blaine looks vaguely out-of-sorts at the gesture, but he covers it up with a quick smile as he turns his hand over to hold Kurt’s.

“Congrats on the Warbler win at your Sectionals.” Blaine says earnestly, looking back at Sebastian with another smile. There’s something a little pleading to it which Sebastian doesn’t understand- _ oh_. Hummel doesn’t know Blaine came to their Sectionals. Yikes.

“Thanks.” Sebastian replies, then wonders if there’s any way he can have it _ accidentally _ come out that there’s a reason Blaine skipped date night or whatever. Maybe he’ll get his dad in on it, he spent half of dinner talking about _ that nice Blaine kid _ so Sebastian’s sure he could get him in on the _ Free Blaine _ plan.

“Ours is this week.” Blaine continues, looking the picture of... unsure, Sebastian thinks. Losing Berry really fucked over New Directions, huh? That’s $50 he’s losing in the Sectionals pool.

“Yeah, I heard.” Sebastian already has tickets for him and a few of the other Warblers, but semantics. “Well hey, if there’s one guy who can whip New Directions into a legitimate threat, it’s Blaine Anderson, right?” In his peripheral vision, Sebastian can see Hummel’s face fall. Still on that jealousy kick, then. 

Predictably, Blaine shuts down at the compliment, taking his hand back from Kurt and looking away from Sebastian. “Right.” he says, but there’s that same bitter tone from Friday to it. Seriously, who the fuck is doing this to Blaine? They’re bullshit. “I need another coffee.” he mutters, excusing himself from the table.

Sebastian checks out his ass as he goes, naturally.

“I don’t like you.” Hummel says suddenly, drawing Sebastian’s attention away from the spectre that is Blaine Anderson’s ass. 

_ Can’t you see I’m busy? _ he wants to snap, but instead Sebastian smirks over at Kurt. “Fun. I don’t like you either.”

“I don’t like the way you talk to my boyfriend, I don’t like your smirky little meerkat face, I don’t like your obnoxious CW hair. I’m on to you.” Hummel looks proud of himself at the end of that, _ Jesus _. Whoever told this kid he had snark made a very big mistake that Sebastian’s having to pay for now. What a bastard.

“Let’s get one thing straight: Blaine’s too good for you, New Directions is a _ joke _ and one of us has a hard luck case of the gay face and it _ ain’t me_.” Seriously, Kurt’s face could win a Razzie Award. Sebastian might nominate him. “Odds are that by the end of the school year I’ll have Blaine _ and _ a Nationals trophy and you’ll have khakis and a Lima Bean apron and that gay face.”

“You smell like Craigslist.” Kurt fires back and honestly, _ what_?

Before Sebastian can pick apart that statement, Blaine’s leaning over his shoulder and asking, “What are you guys talking about?”

“_Duh_.” Sebastian grins over at Kurt, making it very clear this next statement is a challenge. “The next time we’re all going out drinking, killer.”

(He doesn’t want to go out drinking with Blaine and Kurt again. Sebastian still sees a crying Blaine in his mind’s eye far too often. He can’t do that again, not without tearing Hummel limb from limb.)

“Uh oh.” Blaine intones, smiling between the two of them. 

“Well, I gotta run.” Sebastian excuses himself. “But you take care of that Warbler Kurt, alright?” he winks at Kurt before walking out of the cafe, wondering if Blaine and Kurt are going to fight over him tonight.

He supposes he’ll find out. Blaine’s not good at keeping his mouth shut.

_ -ss- _

Tuesday’s meeting with Thad is a little more productive, but Sebastian thinks that might have to do with the fact he decided to bring the Head of Arts into the conversation through Skype.

Thad never said he couldn’t bring in ringers, now did he?

Mr. Franklin is definitely more helpful than Thad is, but he’s pretty sure Thad’s realized Sebastian isn’t fucking around with this. He’s_serious _ about wanting to take over the Warblers and to bring them home their first Nationals trophy in too long, but he needs Thad’s guidance. David’s too, but the fucker is definitely avoiding him.

On their way out, Thad says, “I’m very sorry, Warbler Sebastian.”

Sebastian shrugs and keeps walking, because no _ way _ is he letting Thad off that easily.

_ -ss- _

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_ We have a setlist!!! _   
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_ i can’t believe new directions functions like this. _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_ Me neither. _ _   
_ _ I talked to Finn. _ _   
_ _ Apparently he’s been so difficult because he’s insecure??? Jealous??? _

Okay, Sebastian knows Blaine is oblivious at the best of times but even Sebastian saw that one coming and he’s never even seen Finn in person. Unless he was someone in West Side Story. Sebastian’s going to learn the whole cast’s real names just by osmosis, he’s pretty sure.

**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_ pls tell me you didn’t forgive him. _ _   
_ _ being jealous is whatever, but taking it out on you is bullshit. _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_ :( _   
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_ you are a pushover, b. _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_ Anyway. _ _   
_ _ I’ll be in official lockdown for the rest of the week, so I’ll be M.I.A. Sorry! _ _   
_ _ Are you still on for Sunday? _   
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_ for sure. _

If only so he can beat Blaine up for forgiving Hudson. _ Seriously_. Now he has to hold a grudge on Lopez _ and _ Blaine’s behalf? This is bullshit. Also to ask why the fuck Blaine ignored him all weekend. Not that he cares. Obviously.

_ -ss- _

David accompanies Thad to their meeting on Wednesday, which is good - there’s a reason they were on Wes’ council last year, despite Thad only being a sophomore. They level each other out, push each other to be better. It’s a little cheesy, but David and Thad are most definitely the healthiest relationship Sebastian’s ever seen. He wonders if Thad’s girlfriend ever gets jealous sometimes, but remembers the one time she came out to dinner with the Warblers, how Kayla had treated David merely like an extension of her boyfriend.

Maybe he’ll start a betting pool on how long before the three of them become polyamorous. College is probably the correct answer, but Sebastian’s sure that most of the other Warblers will flat-out bet against it ever happening. It’s easy money.

The Wednesday meeting goes notably smoother than the two preceding it, though how much of that is due to David’s presence is arguable. Sebastian’s sure that he made a breakthrough yesterday by calling in Mr. Franklin, but he’ll humor David and let him think it’s all due to him.

David’s busy for the last two meetings, so the three of them stick around a little longer than the usual hour to lay out what Sebastian and Thad need to get sorted by the end of the week - most of it is administrative bullshit at this point, but Sebastian’s very insistent that _ burning the fucking gavel _ is an incredibly important event to be included in Friday’s outline. Thad bitches him out for it but David’s grinning as he scribbles it in as the last discussion point. 

(Nevermind that he’s already decided to give it to Blaine instead.)

After the next two meetings are set out, Sebastian has to rush to his lacrosse practice. Shane offered him an extra week off, but Sebastian’s reasonably sure the other guys on the team are running out of patience. Which is ridiculous because they’re still _ four _months out from the fucking season, but Sebastian knows better than to expect genuine intellect from jocks, even those enrolled at Dalton.

Practice is bullshit, but at least everyone seems pleased enough to see him back; a few of the more sane guys apologise for getting messy on Saturday, but Sebastian waves them off. Maybe it was fucking weird, but he’s not going to hold it against any of them. He does advise them that reciprocating oral isn’t an equivalent to them performing an act of God, though.

Blaine’s quiet, as promised.

Sebastian pretends he doesn’t miss talking to him.

_ -ss- _

Sebastian expects Thursday to be boring.

He maintains this expectation for a grand total of three minutes into the school day.

Chemistry is his first class of the day, and it’s one of his only classes he has multiple Warblers in. He usually sits with Thad, while Jeff and Nick sit together. Today, Jeff sits next to him.

“Uh.” Sebastian says, watching as Jeff unpacks his bag to retrieve his textbook. Jeff looks like shit, which is probably Sebastian being nice. His blazer’s rumpled and he looks exhausted. “Why are you here?”

“This is my class, Bas.” Jeff answers tiredly, dragging a hand down his face. “Where else would I be?”

Sebastian glances around the classroom, sees Nick sitting three tables away looking similarly tired. Predictably, he’s a lot more put-together - Nick’s far more the typical Dalton boy than Jeff is, he knows that uniformity even in the face of strife is incredibly important. Nick’s looking back at him, something too sad in his stare. Sebastian wonders if hot chocolate will heal this wound.

“With Nick. Obviously.” Sebastian retorts. “You guys break up or something?”

Jeff looks over at Nick, who averts his gaze as soon as he notices Jeff looking. It’s all a little middle-school, which makes it all the more hilarious. “Nick’s a scholarship student.” Jeff says instead of anything that would actually answer his question and Sebastian flicks his ear in response, making Jeff yelp. “Sebastian- _ Jesus_!”

“What does that have to do with anything, Sterling?”

“My parents pay for him to dorm here.” Jeff whispers. Or at least, Sebastian thinks it’s meant to be a whisper. It’s still a little too loud, but everyone else is too busy talking to notice what Jeff’s saying. “They want to pay for his college visits too, but he won’t let them. I just- I don’t get it.”

Huh.

Sebastian didn’t actually know that Nick was a scholarship kid.

It’s not like Sebastian thinks being a scholarship recipient is something to be ashamed of, not really - Dalton’s scholarship program is incredibly competitive and selective, so it’s one hell of an achievement to be chosen. It’s just not what he expected, not of Nick. Maybe Jeff, before the party on Saturday. David maybe, before meeting Lia. Nick is so specifically what Sebastian knows the typical Dalton student to be, but maybe that’s by design. 

“And what, you’re fighting because of it?” Sebastian guesses.

“Yeah.” Jeff says quietly, looking troubled. Sebastian wonders how far back his friendship with Nick goes; it must be far, if Jeff’s parents are willing to pay dorming fees for a child who isn’t even their own. Hell, it must be far if a little fight is affecting him _ this much_. “I... we never fight. I don’t know what to do.”

“Neither do I, Sterling.” Sebastian tells him, raising an eyebrow in amusement. “Seriously, I don’t have _ any _ friends, let alone a best friend forever like you and Duval.” Jeff shoots him a disbelieving look that has Sebastian feeling a little too _ seen_, so he keeps going, “And admit it, it’s pretty pathetic. You literally look like your world’s ending.”

Jeff’s look turns into a strangely effective glare. Sebastian had expected Jeff’s glare to be similar to Trent’s- less of an expression of anger and more emulating an upset puppy. Slowly, Jeff says, “Well. You can go fuck yourself, Smythe. There’s a _ reason _ you don’t have any friends.”

Sebastian wonders if that was meant to hurt.

He also tells himself that it _ didn’t_, in any way, whatsoever.

_ -ss- _

**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_ i know you’re mia this week but jeff and nick are fighting. help. _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_ Is it about Jeff’s parents paying for Nick’s things? _   
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_ yeah. how did you know? jeff said they never fought? _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_ That’s like me saying my mom and I never fight. _ _   
_ _ They’ll sort it out themselves, just keep Nick busy with hot chocolate and busywork. Jeff needs to talk to his sister. _   
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_ jeff has a sister??? _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_ Yeah. Olivia. She’s older than Jeff. I think she’s twenty two now? _ _   
_ _ She understands Nick a lot more than Jeff does as far as this goes. _   
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_ do i want to know why? _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_ You’ll figure it out. _ _   
_ _ I have to run, but I’m looking forward to seeing you guys tomorrow. x _

_ -ss- _

“Blaine’s your friend, isn’t he?” Jeff says towards the end of class, apparently having calmed down. Sebastian worries for a minute that Jeff saw him text Blaine but when he glances over, Jeff’s staring out the window, looking weirdly thoughtful.

“I guess.” Sebastian answers, feeling uncomfortable. Talking about Blaine with other Warblers is becoming exceedingly weirder.

“We were really upset when he left.” Jeff continues, showing no sign he even heard Sebastian which- _ rude_. But he’s never heard _ this _ side of the story, not really. Knows Blaine’s side well enough, knows David and Thad’s too - but not someone like Jeff, who counted Blaine as a close friend before Hummel came along. “We knew ahead of time, at least - he sent a text through to the Warbler group chat before our first rehearsal but... Blaine wasn’t just our star, he was part of our family, too. A really important part. He knew _ all _ of us, and like- _ properly _ knew us, not just that bullshit where I say hi to every Warbler in the halls even though I don’t know shit about them.”

Sebastian remembers last Friday night out in the foyer of Sectionals, remembers a strangely downbeat Blaine saying _ I just wanted to belong_.

Does Blaine know he already belongs somewhere? Even still? Sebastian sees it in the way everyone’s a little skittish regarding his newfound friendship with Blaine - they don’t trust _ him _ not to hurt _ Blaine_, even though it should rightfully be the other way around (not that Sebastian really minds). 

“I mean, I don’t know shit about you,” Jeff concedes, finally acknowledging Sebastian with a flick of his hand in Sebastian’s direction. “But we hang out a lot, I think. For you, at least.”

“We do.” Sebastian admits. He kind of wants to get back on the subject of Blaine leaving but he knows Jeff’s easily distracted, so he’ll try and get back to it another time.

“I’d like to know you.” Jeff says after a long moment, finally looking over at Sebastian. There’s something more rested to his face now and Sebastian has to wonder if Jeff’s prior silence was less fueled by residual anger and more the result of an impromptu nap. “I don’t think you’re as mean as you want us all to believe.”

No way Sebastian’s touching that last statement with a fifty foot pole. Seriously, these guys don’t know him _ at all_. “Why’s that?”

“I like to know people.” 

“Bullshit.”

Jeff actually considers his answer, leaving Sebastian at a loss. He doesn’t know what to do with a genuinely thoughtful Jeff. “I’d _ like _ to know you,” he repeats with a sigh. “Isn’t that enough?”

_ No_, Sebastian wants to say. _ Nobody wants to know me. They won’t like what they see. _

Instead he says, “You just wanna know my dick, don’t you?”

Jeff sputters out a laugh and the moment passes.

_ -ss- _

Maybe Sebastian avoids Jeff for the rest of the day after that.

Just _ maybe_.

_ -ss- _

Sebastian also has French on Thursday, which naturally means he shows up to class with a cup of hot chocolate. Nick gives him a very quiet _ thank you _ before lightly napping through the first half of the class. Mademoiselle Beaumont hovers nervously around him, but Nick doesn’t seem to notice. When they move away from the lecture and into classwork, Nick sits up and tries to work.

_ Tries _ being the operative word, because from over his shoulder, Sebastian’s pretty confident in saying that Nick’s written jackshit.

Fucking Duval and Sterling making him _ give a shit_. 

“Monsieur Smythe,” Mademoiselle Beaumont says softly, placing a hand on his shoulder. “Are you almost done with your work?” When Sebastian nods, she continues, “Would you mind taking Nicholas out for a while? I think he’s having a bad time.”

Sebastian shakes his head, passing her his already-completely classwork before packing up all the rest. Knowing Nick, they’re almost definitely not going to be back before class ends and Sebastian’s sure that his calculus teacher will murder him if he’s late again.

“Duval,” Sebastian murmurs when he’s all packed, leaning over to poke Nick’s shoulder. “Pack your shit up, we’re going for a walk.” Nick looks like he’s about to protest so Sebastian levels a glare at him and repeats, “_ We’re going for a walk_. You can tell Uncle Sebastian about all your boyfriend problems.”

Nick doesn’t look particularly amused, but he starts to pack his books up so it’s a win. Mademoiselle Beaumont squeezes Nick’s shoulder as they pass her, gently telling him the work needs to be done before their next class.

Sebastian remembers Blaine’s advice: _ Keep Nick busy with hot chocolate and busywork_. He’s really nailing this. Hell yeah.

“I know Jeff told you what we’re fighting about,” Nick says eventually, sounding far too tired for someone who just napped for at least half an hour. “But you don’t get it.”

“No,” Sebastian allows. “I don’t.” Because he _ doesn’t_. He’s a real Dalton boy, right down to the excessive trust fund. Sebastian doesn’t know shit about Nick’s money situation, but it’s already so far removed from his own.

Nick looks surprised that Sebastian conceded so easily, but it fades quickly. “Neither does Jeff, not really. He tries to but... it’s just too much for you guys.”

_ Rich white guy problems_, Sebastian muses. “Have you tried talking to him about it?”

“Have you _ tried _ telling Jeff something important?” Nick snaps back, but it’s without any real heat. “He _ cares _, I know he cares, but he’ll never understand.”

Sebastian peers thoughtfully at Nick, then asks, “Does Blaine? Understand, I mean. He seemed to know what was going on when I asked for help dealing with you two.”

“I told you he was my best friend.” Nick points out with a shrug. “Blaine’s... he’s weird, you know?”

“Yeah, I know.”

“It’s just...” Nick trails off, looking a little helpless. “I’ve known Jeff’s family my whole life. I love them, I always have, but I’ve seen how they live and... and they’ve seen how I live too. I’m not ashamed of who I am or of my family, but anytime they give me something it feels like charity.”

Despite how tired Nick seems, there’s something a little defiant in him now - it makes Sebastian smile. Nick’s right, Sebastian _ doesn’t _ get it, he probably never will, but he can more than appreciate seeing Nick like this.

“I know it’s not,” Nick continues on, his voice becoming progressively less shaky. “But it feels like it. I- I already have college plans. Go to OSU and study nursing. They’re _ good _ plans. My family can afford them too, if I manage another scholarship. I can’t keep riding on the Sterling’s coattails my whole life.”

“They are good plans,” Sebastian says slowly, meaning it. Ohio State isn’t an awful school, all things considered, but someone like Nick belongs out of Ohio. “But you could do better, Nick.”

“I know.” Nick allows. “Of course I know. But don’t you think there are _ thousands _ of kids at that school that could do better?”

Sebastian doubts his response of _ I don’t care about thousands of kids _ would be very much appreciated, so he just exaggeratedly shrugs in response.

“I appreciate everything the Sterling’s have done for me, don’t get me wrong,” Nick says quickly, raising his hands as if he’s worried Sebastian’s about to go tell on him to Jeff. “I just... want to do this on my own.”

_ Oh_. That, Sebastian gets. William Smythe is a _ huge _ name in the legal world and even though Sebastian’s wanted to be involved in law since before his parents got back in contact, he _ knows _ any success he achieves is going to be written off as a product of nepotism. It’s bullshit.

“Okay,” Sebastian says. “Maybe talk to Jeff’s parents? You’re right- talking to Jeff is _ hard_, especially about stuff like this, but I’m sure his parents are more reasonable.”

Nick smiles at him. “You know Bas, I don’t think you’re as bad as you want to be.”

“Why do you idiots keep saying this shit?” Sebastian grouses, quickening his pace and groaning when Nick matches him. “We’re not _ friends_, Duval.”

“Of course not.”

_ -ss- _

Thursday’s meeting with Thad starts weird.

Thad’s already waiting for him, sitting up at the council table. He’s sitting in the seat that’s been left empty all year, _ Wes’ old seat_. It was meant to be Blaine’s, but...

“Warbler Nick told me you were trying to help him today.” Thad says quietly, peering up at Sebastian. The expression on his face makes Sebastian uncomfortable, honestly - he looks like he’s _ searching _ for something, and Sebastian’s not sure Thad will like whatever he finds.

“I can’t have him and Jeff fighting next week,” Sebastian says brusquely, sitting up on the table and smirking when Thad glares at him for it. “I’m just smoothing shit out. What of it?”

Thad smiles a little, eyes glittering at Sebastian in amusement. “You care.”

“What? No.”

“_You care_.” Thad insists, standing up from his chair and pointing at Sebastian. “Holy shit, you care!”

“Don’t fucking _ yell_, holy fuck.” Sebastian says, springing up from the table and trying to place his hand on Thad’s mouth but the guy’s dancing around him, loudly proclaiming how much Sebastian cares.

“I’m burning this a day early!” Sebastian threatens, walking towards the cabinet Thad’s precious gavel is locked inside of.

“Fine, take all the fun out of it.” Thad whines, settling down back into his regular seat.

Sebastian considers sitting back up on the table, but then decides to sit in Wes’ old seat. 

_ -ss- _

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_ If you changed your bet in the Sectionals pool to the Troubletones, this is your official warning to change it back or suffer the consequences. :) _

Sebastian didn’t change his bet, but something warm flares in him knowing that Blaine is absolutely going to _ crush _ tomorrow night.

_ -ss- _

Friday’s mostly a blur.

Jeff tries to hug him during Chemistry because _ you got Nick to talk to my parents _ and Nick brings in an Americano in French to _ make up for all the hot chocolates _ and Thad’s staring at him practically all day, gaze a little too knowing for Sebastian’s comfort.

David, at least, notices all the weirdness and offers to ditch his tutoring session during the afternoon to mediate Sebastian’s meeting with Thad, but Sebastian doubts he’ll be too needed. Thad’s a freak. He’s kind of used to it at this point.

The actual meeting is relatively calm, weirdly enough - Sebastian officially feels confident in taking over all the leadership duties for the Warblers and Thad gave up bitching about his gavel when Sebastian told him he was going to gift it to Blaine.

When they get to McKinley to watch Sectionals, Blaine manages to break free of whatever pre-show ritual Hudson’s putting them through to come say hi.

Pam’s sitting in the row behind where the Warblers are, but Sebastian turns back to talk to her between performances - she doesn’t know what Blaine’s performing either, but his confidence has seemed to rub off on her because she doesn’t seem the tiniest bit spooked after either performance.

Sebastian can’t quite blame her - both the Unitards and the Troubletones have _ good _ performances, but neither are _ great_. That does strike Sebastian as weird; he knows Harmony, knows she wouldn’t settle for anything less than _ amazing _ and when Blaine recounted the two Troubletones performances he’d been present for, they’d sounded almost formidable. Lopez and the other singer sound great, but the dancing’s a little too messy and uncoordinated. It’s strange, considering Blaine mentioned the bulk of the club were cheerleaders.

New Directions then take the stage, leading with _ ABC_. It’s definitely not what Sebastian expected - doubly so when Hummel turns out to be one of the leads - but their dancing is weirdly on-point, considering it has always been New Directions’ weak point. Hudson’s a little too heavily featured considering his complete lack of dance skill, but he’s mostly hidden behind everyone else so Sebastian supposes it works.

Halfway through the performance, a man takes the empty seat next to Sebastian. He’s dressed a little too nicely for a show choir competition and he’s certainly uncomfortable, but he’s looking up at one of the guys- Riff, Sebastian thinks, then _ no_, Mike- like his whole world’s being rocked. Sebastian’s absolutely getting details from Blaine later.

Then there’s _ Control_. If Sebastian were straight, he’s pretty sure he’d dick down Fabray in a _ second _ . Girl’s definitely some kind of crazy. Then the introduction ends and Blaine takes the lead into the main song and Sebastian kind of wants to _ die_. Blaine sounds great but his dancing is just- _ shit_. So much hip movement. Pam’s giggling in his ear which definitely triples the _ want to die _ factor. Blaine shares the lead with Abrams and the two of them sound great together, but what really surprises Sebastian is just how in-sync this performance is: this is what he wants to do with the Warblers, but here are New Directions, completely showing him up.

Challenge accepted.

_ Control _ leads into _ Man in the Mirror_, which is definitely the lower point of the performance. All five guys sound great - even Hudson - but it’s missing the spark of the other two performances. 

Sebastian’s curious who the fifth guy is, though - it’s certainly not Kurt or Mike, and he’s reasonably certain it’s not the exchange student either. Blaine’s mentioned what a battle it can be to recruit new talent for New Directions, but he’s almost proud that they apparently managed to pull it off in the week before Sectionals.

_ Almost _ being the operative word, because _ holy shit_. Maybe it’s not their best performance, but this _ is _ New Directions at their best: showing up everyone’s expectations of them, even their own. There is no single doubt in Sebastian’s mind that the Warblers will be seeing New Directions at Regionals, which just turned the pressure up to twelve. 

As the stage lights dim for the last time and the curtains draw to a close, Pam launches out of her chair and wraps her arms around Sebastian, babbling on about how _ proud _ she is of her baby boy and Sebastian just smiles. He’s proud of Blaine, too.

_ -ss- _

“You stayed.”

Sebastian glances up from his phone, brow furrowing as he tries to make out who’s talking to him - it’s dark out in the parking lot, McKinley apparently having decided the best way to rush people out of the auditorium would be to plunge them into darkness. After a few seconds, he recognises Blaine, still in his competition costume.

“Of course I did, killer.” Sebastian says easily, stuffing his phone into his blazer pocket. He’d been about to leave, actually - the ceremony ended an hour ago and he’d reasoned that if Blaine didn’t show up already, he’d obviously left a different way. “I have a present for you. It was meant to be a commiseration gift until that text last night, now it’s a victory gift.”

Blaine’s grinning, moving closer to Sebastian. “You changed your bet, right?”

_ I didn’t change it in the first place_. “Naturally.”

“Good.”

Sebastian waves Blaine over towards his car as he slides off of the hood and walks around to the side, unlocking the door so he can sort through his bag to find Blaine’s gift. “Who’s the dude with the body rolls?” he asks absentmindedly, if only to fill the silence.

“Oh! That’s Sam.” Blaine answers, resting on the car next to Sebastian’s. “Evans. He was in glee club last year, but his dad got a new job out of state so he had to leave.” 

There was _ definitely _ a Sam mentioned on Ben-Israeli’s creepy ass glee blog, but Sebastian can barely remember anything outside of, “Those _ lips _, though.”

“Yeah.” Blaine says, a little airily. Then, “He almost punched me the other day.”

“What? You picking fights, killer?”

“Kind of.” Blaine concedes, voice dropping in what Sebastian supposes is shame. “He- uh. You know how Jeff has trouble understanding Nick’s family stuff?”

“I don’t want to know how you know I know that.” Sebastian mutters.

Blaine ignores him. “I pulled a _ total _ Jeff, but I was a hundred times worse.” 

“I _ will _ be pressing for details at a later date.” Sebastian promises, standing back up. “But not right now, because...” he waves Thad’s gavel around a little bit, grinning when Blaine’s face brightens. “This is now yours.”

“Oh my _ God _ Are you serious?” Blaine goes to grab the gavel, but Sebastian holds it out of his reach, causing Blaine to pout. “You said it was for me!”

“I like to make you pout.” Sebastian teases, then presents the gavel to Blaine.

Blaine’s too busy grinning down at his present to respond so Sebastian chuckles as he closes his door and leans against it to watch Blaine. “So you like?”

“I _ love _ it!” Blaine assures him. “I think I’ll get it framed, what do you think?”

“What, you’re not gonna use it in glee?”

“No.” Blaine says resolutely. “I’m just... part of the team now.”

Seriously, fuck New Directions.****

_ -ss- _ ****

There’s a college party on Saturday night in Lima, so naturally Sebastian’s in attendance. There’s a few other Dalton boys hanging around: none that Sebastian knows personally, but they all give him polite smiles and waves when he walks past them. It’s gratifying to know he’s officially prevalent enough in the school to get recognised in the wild.

Some psychology major has apparently decided it’s his life’s ambition to get Sebastian drunk tonight and while usually he’d be on board, Sebastian’s pretty sure Pam would murder him if he turned up to lunch tomorrow whilst hungover.

(Not that he cares about Pam’s opinion, of course.)

He still drinks a fair amount though. It’s Saturday. It’s _ tradition_. And it’s fun.

Except when it becomes time for his psych student to perform, the guy has a proper fucking meltdown and Sebastian kind of wants to smother him with one of the nearby pillows; it’s not like he’s against sleeping with dudes who are solidly in the closet because _ really_, he’s in Ohio, that’d leave him with the slimmest of pickings, but no way is he fucking a dude who starts crying the moment Sebastian asks where the lube is.

With a scoff, Sebastian stands back up and watches the dude snivel on the bed for a few moments before making his way out, throwing a, “Thanks for wasting my time!” in his wake.

At least he didn’t have to get any of his own drinks tonight.

_ -ss- _

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Jon Matthewson**   
_ Hey, dude. Ended up having to go home, you’ll have to sneak yourself back in. _

Sebastian’s brow furrows as he reads Jon’s text. Not because he’s annoyed about having to sneak back in- he can blackmail Jeff and Nick (okay, just Nick) into helping him if he’s super desperate- but Jon doesn’t _ text_. Hell, Sebastian’s not sure he’s ever seen Jon actually use his phone before - he prefers actually talking to people, which is weird, but Jon’s weird so Sebastian lets it slide.

**<<<TEXT SENT: Jon Matthewson**   
_ everything okay? _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Jon Matthewson**   
_ You care? _

Sebastian wants to deny it but he remembers his and Thad’s meeting on Thursday which he’s been thinking about a little too much. Is there any point to denying it anymore? He still doesn’t count anyone from Dalton as a friend, but he _ cares _ about a few of them. Just a little.

**<<<TEXT SENT: Jon Matthewson**   
_ don’t tell anyone, you’ll ruin my reputation. _ _   
_ _ seriously though, you good? _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Jon Matthewson**   
_ I’m good. See you Monday. _

God, Jon’s such a fucking freak.

Sebastian glances down the hall towards the apartments where the party is actually happening - it’s still early, barely eleven, he could certainly go back and try his luck again but his mood’s been methodically ruined.

Well...

**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_ scandals tonight? i’ll buy your drinks. _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_ At Kurt’s, sorry. I’ll see you tomorrow though! _   
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_ you could bring him to scandals. come on. _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_ After last time, I think Kurt’s had enough Scandals to last him a lifetime. _ _   
_ _ We’ll go soon, just you and me. I promised a Dolly sing-a-long after all! _   
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer** **  
** _ good. _

_ Ugh_.

_ -ss- _

Saturday ends with Sebastian safely in his dorm before _ two_. It’s fucking depressing.

Nick does end up being the one to help Sebastian sneak back into the dormitories. He’s a far less effective partner in crime than Jon, but Sebastian’s reasonably sure nobody could live up to Jon’s standards. Jon is an absolute freak but he’s also the _ perfect _ roommate - actually, Jon being a freak might be why he’s so good as a roommate. Sebastian can do whatever the fuck he wants in their room and all he gets is a nod. It’s all sorts of awesome.

When Sebastian gets back to his dorm, he expects Nick to fuck off back to his own room. Nick’s sleep schedule seems awful at best so Sebastian figures that Nick would use the weekend to try and get a little extra sleep.

Instead, Nick follows Sebastian into his room. It’s the first time a Warbler has actually been in Sebastian’s dorm room, though that’s not through lack of trying on Thad’s part. The thought makes Sebastian feel... strange, almost. The Warblers are a pretty big part of his life but he’s never had any of them in his room before now. It’s not like Jon would mind, he doesn’t complain when Shane comes over to talk out his plans for the lacrosse team so it wouldn’t make sense if he had a problem with Jeff and Nick stopping by every so often.

Well, Sebastian would understand if Jon took issue with Jeff.

“What’s up, Duval?” Sebastian asks.

Nick jumps at the question, apparently having fled into his own daydream world in the thirty seconds since Sebastian spoke to him last. “Uh. Right.” Nick murmurs, brows furrowing. “What’s going on with you and Blaine?”

“Seriously?” Sebastian stresses, debating the pros and cons of whacking Nick upside the head right now.

If this is a shovel talk, he doesn’t want it. Especially not from Nick. Trent’s tried giving various versions of it over the past few weeks, but they’ve all been terribly ineffective. Mostly because Trent is Trent, but also because while Blaine and Trent were certainly friends, Sebastian’s yet to see any genuine closeness between them. But he’s been privy to a _ lot _ of moments between Blaine and Nick, both in-person and over the phone. Nick giving him the shovel talk actually _ means _ something and no fucking way is Sebastian going to sit through it. Especially not when anything _ is _ happening, outside of him trying to make Blaine realise his boyfriend’s an asshole.

“No, not like that! I don’t think you’re trying to sleep with him!” Nick objects quickly, face flushed a deep red. “I just... I _ worry_, you know me.”

“Have I given you something to worry about?” Sebastian asks, genuinely curious. He’s been nothing but (mostly) well-behaved around Blaine, especially since the Scandals incident. Harmless bouts of flirting aside, he’s been a perfect gentleman.

Nick shakes his head but Sebastian doesn’t find himself particularly assured, considering Nick still looks troubled. After a few moments, Nick sighs. “When we went to see Blaine before _ West Side Story_, I noticed you giving him and Kurt the stink-eye. I’ve wanted to talk to you about it since, but we got so busy with Sectionals.”

“I- did Blaine tell you we went to Scandals, the three of us?” At Nick’s nod, Sebastian continues, “They left before me. I don’t really know what happened in the parking lot, Blaine and I haven’t talked about it since and he was pretty messed up that night but he tried to... I don’t know, force himself on Hummel or some shit. He fucked up, whatever. I found him when I was leaving and gave him a ride home- it was on the way so it’s not like it’s a big deal. And fuck, Nick... he pretty much cried the whole way. He was so scared Hummel was never going to forgive him. It’s really hard to get on the _ Blaine and Kurt Forever _ train when shit like that happens.”

Nick doesn’t look surprised, so Sebastian supposes he’s glad Blaine’s talking to _ someone _ about what happened in the parking lot but he does wonder why Blaine isn’t talking to him instead. Nick has more capacity to care but Sebastian was fucking _ there_. He’s the one who hauled Blaine up to his bedroom without waking his parents up. He’s pretty sure he has the right to closure on the whole night.

“The Warblers don’t like them together,” Nick reveals slowly, looking a little guilty. “It’s not just about how Blaine transferred for Kurt- that _ is _ a part of it obviously, we’re only human- but... they’re not good for each other, Bas.”

Sebastian knows he’s only looking at the relationship from one perspective- Blaine’s, naturally- but he wonders how exactly Blaine could be bad for Hummel. He doubts Nick’s going to shed light on that though, so he hums to indicate he’s still listening.

“I worry about Blaine because... he’s not good at halfway, you know? If he loves someone, he’ll love them forever. If something happened to mess him and Kurt up, he’d never forgive himself. And I _ know _ you see how bad they are together and I’m _ sure _ you’re planning a way to break them up but please _ don’t _.”

Sebastian knows Nick is coming from a place of caring, but- “_ Holy shit_, Duval. You want me to leave it? Hummel is _ destroying _ Blaine’s self-esteem! The fact that Blaine transferred to McKinley is a fucking _ jok _, he’s practically throwing away his chances at a good university. And seriously, how many times have you hung out with Blaine since he transferred? I’m _ in _ Lima all the fucking time, it’s the only way I ever see him, I doubt Hummel’s willing to let go of his leash long enough for him to come out here more than once a fucking semester.

“When I first came here, you guys all talked about Blaine _ incessantly _ . It drove me nuts! But the more you’d talk about this kid, the more I wanted to meet him. You made him sound talented, cocky, friendly, _ perfect _ \- and then I meet him, and I end up with a person who can’t take a fucking compliment, who left all his friends behind because his boyfriend said so, and who’s not letting himself _ shine _ in a fucking _ show choir _ because he’s so scared he’s going to be fucking rejected by a bunch of public school kids he didn’t give a single shit about a year ago.

“We keep leaving this shit alone and by the time Blaine realises he’s fucked up- and it’s going to be a _ long _ time before he does, you know that- there’s going to be nothing left of _ him _ to come back to, Nick! It’s bullshit! You said he was your best friend and _ really_, you’ve got a funny fucking way of showing it. Maybe it’ll be hard for him to leave Kurt behind, but it’ll destroy him if he _ stays _ with Kurt. I’m just doing what’s best by _ him_. You should too.”

Nick’s quiet for a long time, watching as Sebastian tries to calm himself down. It pisses him off. Nick wanted to have this fucking conversation after all. 

“I get it. You’re right.” Nick offers eventually, still watching Sebastian warily. “I just... if you’re going to do something, you need to be careful. Please, Sebastian. Just- be _ careful_. Don’t hurt him.”

“I’m starting to think I’m the only person who isn’t going to hurt him.” Sebastian snarks. “Or at least, I’m the only person who isn’t going to stand by and _ let _ him get hurt.”

Nick gives a full-body wince as if Sebastian had physically struck him, but when he straightens himself out, he’s staring at Sebastian with that same defiance from the other day. “What are you planning then? We’ll do it together.”

_ Oh_. That was definitely the last thing he’d been expecting.

“I’ll let you know,” Sebastian says with a shrug. “I’m still gathering intel. It’s also two in the morning and you look like shit. Get some sleep, Duval.”

_ No way _ is Sebastian bringing Nick in. He’ll just muddle everything with his moral compass.

_ -ss- _

Sebastian isn’t entirely sure what to expect from lunch with the Andersons.

But he knows that he _ definitely _ wasn’t expecting to be led to a table of four.

**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_ please tell me hummel isn’t coming. _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_ No, the extra is my dad. Is that okay? He decided to come this morning. _   
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_ it’s fine. see you soon? _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_ We’re just a few minutes out! _

Oh boy.

_ -ss- _

The Andersons show up about five minutes later.

Sebastian already knew that the height difference between Pam and Blaine’s father was severe, but to see it in real life is a whole other thing entirely. It reminds him of Berry and Hudson, almost makes him wonder that if a video of the two Andersons kissing got up on the internet what kind of comment he’d have to post.

(_What’s with the t-rex eating the Jew _ may not be his finest work, but Hudson doesn’t deserve his better insults. Berry... well, she might.)

Mr. Anderson introduces himself with a firm handshake and a stern look which is softened by Pam pulling faces over his shoulder, but Sebastian’s sure not to let his amusement show. He mightn’t care for people like Mr. Anderson, but he’s important to Blaine. Sebastian can play nice.

Blaine recounts the events of Sectionals for his father, with Pam and Sebastian filling in certain gaps that Blaine must’ve missed due to backstage drama - Sebastian learns just how _ hard _ New Directions had to work to have their whole setlist sorted in a week, but Mr. Anderson seems completely unimpressed by Schuester’s lack of preparation. It makes Sebastian feel a little vindicated after Nick’s attempt to chew him out last night.

“You said Kurt had a solo, didn’t you?” Mr. Anderson asks at one point.

Sebastian doesn’t quite know what to make of that - their lunch has been going strangely well so far but if Mr. Anderson’s about to whip out some good old homophobic rhetoric, Sebastian will gladly ruin it.

Blaine smiles, giving a slight nod. “Yes! He, Mike and Tina- remember them, dad? Mike played Riff in _ West Side _ and Tina’s the one I’m working on that English project with- anyway, the three of them were leads on _ ABC_. It was amazing, I really wish you could’ve been there.”

To Sebastian’s surprise, all Mr. Anderson does is smile. “I wish I could’ve been too. I’ve already cleared my schedule for your Regionals competition. Tina was in the musical too, wasn’t she?”

Blaine babbles away about Tina’s portrayal of Rosalia as his father nods along, attentively listening. It’s about the last thing Sebastian expected and Pam somehow knows, based on the wink she throws him.

Maybe he read Mr. Anderson wrong. He did only see pictures, after all. He’d built up an image of Papa Anderson in his head since that day at the Anderson’s house, had turned him into something cruel and ugly. There’s nothing particularly ugly to him now, outside of his gaudy bowtie.

Blaine smoothly changes the subject to Dalton’s current happenings, apparently having noticed Sebastian checking out of the conversation. Sebastian’s happy to fill all three Andersons in on what they’ve been missing and if he embellishes a little bit, well. It’s all part of the _ Save Blaine _ cause.

Mr. Anderson offers up his own stories as a former student at Dalton, revealing he was part of the first iteration of the student body; already a junior, but his parents had wanted him to attain a superior education. It’s strange to hear his stories, Sebastian can’t quite associate them with his own Dalton, but he finds them interesting. Blaine even shares some of his own stories and it hits Sebastian then how little he’s actually talked to Blaine about his own tenure at Dalton. He should remedy that. 

Lunch passes amicably - a lot of idle small talk, but Sebastian’s surprised at how _ easy _ it is to talk to all three Andersons. Mr. Anderson is certainly a lot more intimidating than his wife and son but he’s strangely pleasant to talk to now that Sebastian’s set aside his previous assumptions about him.

At one point, they get onto the subject of Sebastian’s plans for the future - Blaine’s already shared his, NYU for music and potentially something to do with education down the line too - and Mr. Anderson reveals he actually knows Sebastian’s own father, even if not particularly well.

“You’re going in to law too?” he asks, looking feintly shocked. Sebastian supposes it would be surprising, both his son and step-son barely gave going into business a second thought. “Sorry.” he adds after a moment. “I- I’ve met your father once or twice, he’s very good at what he does. It must be incredibly interesting to live with him.”

Sebastian shrugs. “Ohio doesn’t have a state’s attorney, so it’s not like I live with him full-time.” Both Anderson parents look vaguely disconcerted at that so Sebastian presses on, “It’s why I board at Dalton. Whenever he spends the weekend in the state, I usually go home with him - it actually works. I lived with my mom in France ever since the divorce, so throwing my dad and I in the deep end with living together would’ve ended _ awfully_, I’m sure.”

“Your mother’s in France?” Pam questions, voice soft. Sebastian can practically _ see _ the gears turning in his head. He wonders how long it’ll be until he starts getting care packages of her God-tier pancakes delivered to his dorm every other day. He hopes it’s soon.

“Yes.” Sebastian answers, then goes back to detailing his post-graduation plans. Mr. Anderson seems quietly impressed which has Sebastian preening. He very pointedly pretends to miss the quiet conversation Blaine and Pam are having on their side of the table, but Mr. Anderson is watching the two of them with a soft smile.

Sebastian isn’t the type of kid to yearn for a family, not really. He was fine back in France and he’s fine in Ohio, but it’s weird to be around (mostly) functional family units. It’s a reminder of what he could never have. 

Eventually lunch comes to an end and Sebastian bids the Andersons goodbye. Pam presses a hard kiss to his cheek before making him promise to come visit the house soon which Sebastian gladly agrees too. Mr. Anderson gives him another handshake as a goodbye and then after a moment says, _ call me Edward_. The sentence has both Blaine and Pam beaming.

Blaine gives him a hug goodbye with promises to be better at keeping in touch (Sebastian mostly avoided pressing about last weekend but Blaine definitely knows he’s annoyed which Sebastian supposes is good enough).

He smells like raspberries.

Sebastian’s so fucked.

_ -ss- _

When Sebastian gets back to Dalton, he expects to find himself alone in his dorm - Jon definitely said he wouldn’t be back until Monday, but here he is: sitting at his desk, working away on homework. Jon looks up when he enters, gives Sebastian a small nod and then goes back to his work.

Sebastian feels like this is where he should ask Jon why he’s back early or even why he left in the first place, but he’s not entirely comfortable with the idea. Jon and Sebastian get along fine, but prying into one another’s personal lives is a line Sebastian doesn’t want to cross.

Instead he grins at Jon and says, “Missed your help last night, buddy. Glad you’re back.”

Jon glances back over at Sebastian with his eyebrows raised, looking faintly amused. After a few moments, he snorts. “Glad to be back.”

_ -ss- _

Sebastian knows to expect some growing pains, but holy shit. Being captain of the Warblers is _ draining_, and it’s literally his first day. Their first rehearsal is on Tuesday, so fuck if he knows why every single Warbler is tracking him down on Monday to talk to him.

Okay, he knows.

The Warblers have apparently grown out of waiting for Blaine to come back which would be _ great _ if they hadn’t all simultaneously decided that they wanted to take over his vacant lead soloist position. Sebastian appreciates their vigour but he’s pretty sure it’s only going to end in tears. Their tears, not his. Naturally. And he _ really _ doesn’t want to deal with it.

David runs interference best he can but Sebastian’s not sure he achieves much - a few of the older kids are smart enough to know that annoying Sebastian is going to win them no points, but the freshmen aren’t anywhere near as clued in. He’s pretty sure that by the time rehearsal starts, they’re going to need to start recruiting again because Sebastian will have murdered no less than all eight of the little runts.

Jeff, Nick and Trent all seem to find his misery amusing which isn’t at-all surprising. What _ is _ surprising is how, on his way to history, he overhears Trent talking a few of the sophomore Warblers.

“I know solos are exciting,” he says, sounding oddly solemn. “But trust me when I say that trying to get Sebastian to give you one won’t work out. What will work is showing him how talented you are, how hard you’ll work- that’ll be what gets you solos, not ambushing our captain between his classes.”

The fact that Trent’s the one going out of his way to try and lessen Sebastian’s pain is probably the most ridiculous thing Sebastian’s heard all year, but... he can’t lie, he appreciates it. Maybe there’s hope for him and Trent after all.

After history, Sebastian notices a significant downsizing in the little Warblers following him around. Amusedly, he wonders if the older students coordinated interventions.

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: David Thompson**   
_ Hey, everything settling down? _

They totally coordinated interventions.

What nerds.

_ -ss- _

Other than baby Warblers trying to drive Sebastian insane, his Monday is rather quiet.

Blaine’s back to texting as normal, if a little less forthcoming about New Directions drama. Sebastian can’t quite blame him, as much as he’d like to; they’re officially competition now. Best not to let any secrets slip. 

(But really, what teacher asks his students for help proposing to his girlfriend? So many things about McKinley seem strange, but Sebastian's sincerely beginning to doubt Schuester even has friends outside of his glee club. There has to be some law against that.)

Jeff and Nick seem to have resolved their issue from last Thursday, which is a _ godsend_. Sebastian might’ve been talking out of his ass when Thad confronted him about trying to remedy the situation, but he seriously does need the two of them on good terms - if there’s any discord between the upperclassmen Warblers, the underclassmen will use it as leverage against him and honestly, no thanks.

They’re both acting weird around him now, though. Sebastian’s pretty sure it’s because of the conversation he and Nick had on Saturday, but he’s not touching the situation with a fifty foot pole. Jeff and Nick can send him all the strange looks they want, Sebastian just needs them to respect him.

David and Thad have reiterated no less than a hundred times that they have his back and Sebastian’s glad for that, even if the constant reminders are getting on his last nerve. They don’t actually have a lot of seniors in the club this year, so David’s support means a lot.

Beatbox is quiet, as usual.

Sebastian tries to convince himself that there’s no _ way _ Beatbox is planning a mutiny already, but... he might also be planning ways to get Beatbox kicked out of the Warblers. It’s fine.

_ -ss- _

**<<<TEXT SENT: Sunshine**   
_ thanks for today, trent. _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Sunshine**   
_ No idea what you’re talking about!!! :) _

**<<<TEXT SENT: Panic! at the Disco**   
_ i will shove my foot so far up your ass if you fuck up my meeting tomorrow, duval. _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Panic! at the Disco**   
_ Why would I mess up the meeting? _   
**<<<TEXT SENT: Panic! at the Disco**   
_ you think i missed you and jeff staring at me all. fucking. day? _ _   
_ _ listen. it’s whatever. but i will end you if you fuck any of my shit up. _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Panic! at the Disco**   
_ We’re sorry! We just... are trying to figure something out. _   
**<<<TEXT SENT: Panic! at the Disco**   
_ what? _ _   
_ _ or am i going to regret asking _ _   
_ _ i already regret it nvm _

**<<<TEXT SENT: Jeff Sterling**   
_ i need to get a nickname for you still. _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Jeff Sterling**   
_ HOW DID NICK GET A NICKNAME BEFORE ME :( _   
**<<<TEXT SENT: Jeff Sterling**   
_ oh my GOD, not the point. _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Jeff Sterling**   
_ just tell me david and thad don’t have one yet :( _   
**<<<TEXT SENT: Jeff Sterling**   
_ stop sad-facing me. just use emoji like a normal person. _ _   
_ _ and no, they don’t. so shut up. _

**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_ give me a nickname for jeff. _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_ His mom calls him sunflower. I can’t tell you why. _   
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_ holy shit. _

**<<<TEXT SENT: Sunflower**   
_ okay, i’ve thought about it. what do you think of sunflower? _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Sunflower**   
_ WHO TOLD YOU _ _   
_ _ WAS IT BLAINE _ _   
_ _ THAT TRAITOR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! _

_ -ss- _

Tuesday is pretty much Sebastian’s worst day since starting at Dalton.

It’s not that he’s nervous, because he’s _ not _\- Sebastian Smythe is many things, but he’s never been a failure. Taking over the Warblers definitely isn’t going to change that.

But everyone _ knows _ . Not just teachers, but fuck, they’re all nightmares too- especially his legal teacher, Mr. Barnes, who hates everything Warbler-related and Sebastian used to find it refreshing but now he just wants to punch Barnes in the face and move on. The other _ students _ all seem to know too and that’s the real problem. Sebastian can’t go anywhere without there being someone staring and while he’d usually bask in the attention, there’s something stopping him this time. It feels like everyone’s waiting on him to fail.

Sebastian Smythe doesn’t fucking _ fail_.

And he’s going to enjoy proving all these fuckers wrong.

(He just needs them to stop staring already.)

_ -ss- _

The actual Warblers meeting goes well, at least.

It’s more or less a full hour of Sebastian talking, but everyone remains attentive through his whole speech. He outlines his plans for the Warblers; what he’s looking at developing in hopes of beating New Directions and the Golden Goblets at Regionals; what they’ll be performing for the upcoming performance at the children’s hospital in Columbus. There’s a few questions here and there- mostly about auditioning for solos and who’ll be deciding such things. There’s a few complaints when he announces David and Thad will be the main judges, but Sebastian ignores them.

David and Thad got them through Sectionals, so Sebastian more than trusts them both to help him accrue the best possible lineup to attack Regionals. 

“If you have a problem with them, you may as well leave.” Sebastian says resolutely, levelling the room at large with a serious look. _ Seriously_, no fucking way would they be here if David and Thad hadn’t stepped up amid the chaos following Blaine’s sudden transfer. 

At that thought, Sebastian chances a quick glance towards where Jeff’s sitting. He’s on one of the couches, squeezed between Nick and a Warbler Sebastian doesn’t quite recognise- Skylar, possibly. Sebastian’s sure that he’s one of the freshman, at least. He’s definitely going to have to work to get everyone’s names straight.

He still needs to get back to his and Jeff’s conversation about Blaine last week. Just how chaotic were things after Blaine left? It’s something David and Thad avoid answering, but he doubts Jeff will bother filtering the events. Or at least, he hopes Jeff won’t.

Nobody budges at Sebastian’s declaration though, so there’s that. He’s sure the Warblers will be assholes for a little while, but he knows that they all want to win as much as Sebastian does. They’ll settle. And then they’ll crush the competition.

It’s just inevitable.

Their hour’s up, so Sebastian starts to dismiss everyone - he has a lacrosse practice to get to, but he has a sneaking suspicion that he won’t be getting to it on time.

He’s immediately proven right when Jeff, Nick and their little freshman start walking towards front of the room. Ugh.

At least Nick looks somewhat apologetic, even if Sebastian isn’t going to give him any points for it - their texts last night are still on his mind and for the life of him, he can’t figure out what Jeff and Nick are being weird about. Sebastian hasn’t done anything weird lately, he’s pretty sure. Unless asking Nick for help sneaking back in is considered a cardinal sin for whatever fucking reason.

“Bas!”

“_Sunflower_.”

“Ugh, fine. Sebastian, this is Skylar.” Jeff introduces the freshman, who’s smiling serenely up at Sebastian. If he wasn’t as small as he was, Sebastian’s reasonably sure it’d be hard to place Skylar as a freshman: he seems sure of himself in a way most of his peers aren’t. It’s refreshing.

“Nice to meet you, Skylar.” Sebastian greets, then zeroes in on Jeff. “Why the special introduction?”

Jeff shifts under the attention, looking somewhat surprised at the question. _ Honestly _ . These people really do _ not _ know him, as much as they all like to pretend otherwise. Sebastian’s definitely going to hit the next Warbler who decides he _ isn’t so mean_. “He wanted a proper introduction, chill.”

Sebastian glances at Nick, who’s looking a little helpless as he shrugs. Is this what they were weird about? That their little freshman buddy wanted to meet Sebastian? It couldn’t be. Could it? It’d be really fucking dumb if it was.

“I’m way more chill than you are, sunflower.” Sebastian teases, then nods in Skylar’s direction. “Can you walk and talk? I need to get down to the changing rooms for practice.”

“Of course.” Skylar murmurs, bidding Jeff and Nick a quick goodbye before he follows Sebastian out of the room. Sebastian almost expects Skylar to clam up now that they’re away from people he evidently finds familiar, but the younger boy still seems at ease. He’s quiet up until they leave the commons area and then says, “I know not to expect too much of a spotlight being a freshman, but I was wondering what kind of performer you _ are _ interested in showcasing.”

Sebastian’s happy to explain and lets Skylar write along on his phone, no doubt to share with the other underclassmen. If it means he only has to have this conversation once, Sebastian’s more than happy to allow it. It’s not like he minds the younger students taking initiative, but Sebastian’s running out of spare time pretty quickly - he doesn’t want to spend what little he has rehashing the same discussions over and over.

“Thanks a lot, Sebastian.” Skylar says when they finally reach the change rooms, still smiling up at him. “I’m really looking forward to seeing where you take us.” And with a quick handshake, he takes his leave.

Sebastian likes him. A lot, actually. Maybe not all freshmen are things of complete evil.

Shane’s waiting for him when he enters the room, grinning up at him. “Hey, Smythe. Loving the captaincy?”

“Shut your ugly mouth, Wilson.”

_ -ss- _

On Wednesday, Sebastian wakes up to a text from Blaine.

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_ I know tonight is your one night off, but did you want to meet up for dinner? _   
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**   
_ for sure. you coming up or am i coming down? _   
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**   
_ I’ll come up! _ _   
_ _ I’ll text you at lunch with details. :)_

_ -ss- _

Sebastian ends up meeting Blaine at some hole-in-the-wall restaurant in central Westerville. It’s not a place Sebastian would ever set foot in on his own, but something about it feels overwhelmingly _ Blaine_. It probably doesn’t help that the boy in question is waiting for him, already sat at a table as he talks amicably to a member of staff.

“Hi there,” another employee greets Sebastian, smiling pleasantly up at him. She seems his age, if a little older - he wonders if she’s a student at Crawford, but he doubts any Crawford girls have a need for an after-school job. “Sitting alone tonight?”

“Just with my friend.” Sebastian answers, gesturing over towards Blaine. He probably shouldn’t be surprised how the girl’s smile grows at his response, because apparently _ everyone _ knows Blaine. Did he just go around Westerville introducing himself to everyone when he started at Dalton? It’s ridiculous. _ Blaine’s _ ridiculous.

“Oh. You’re the boyfriend, then? About time Blaine bought you here!” the girl’s positively beaming at him now. It makes Sebastian uncomfortable. Not uncomfortable enough to correct her because... well, fuck Hummel.

“Here I am.” he says instead, smirking at her as she leads him towards Blaine’s table. 

The girl introduces herself and then promptly starts to tell him all about how Blaine is her _ favorite _ customer and how much she’s missed him. It’s still a little jarring, to hear all these people talk about Blaine and remembering his words after the Warblers’ Sectionals performance. _ I just wanted to belong. _He’s always belonged, hasn’t he? Or is the problem the fact that he doesn’t belong with New Directions?

Before Sebastian can decide either way, Blaine’s rising from his seat and greeting Sebastian with a tight hug. He still smells like raspberries. What the fuck. Is it the hair gel? It’s probably the hair gel. Fuck.

“Hey, killer.” Sebastian murmurs, squeezing Blaine even closer to him briefly before disentangling himself and sitting down at the table - there’s only two seats, thank God. Papa Anderson showing up to lunch on Sunday might’ve ended well, but Sebastian can’t handle another surprise. Not now at least, with his nerves shot to hell since the pressure of captaining the Warblers is really kicking in. “What brings you up to Westerville?”

Blaine sits back down as he answers, “David mentioned you officially took over the Warblers this week, I wanted to see how you were going. And to get you away from all the crazy.”

“David totally begged you to take me out, didn’t he?” 

“Completely.” Blaine answers, not looking the least bit apologetic. “Wes always told me about how stressful leading the council was, and he had two other people helping him out. I don’t know how you handle stress, but I thought I could help make it easier on you. Even if it’s just taking you out to dinner every week.”

“So this is going to be an ongoing thing?” Sebastian asks. The idea pleases him, if he’s being honest. Not just the idea of spending more time with Blaine in-person, but also the excuse to get the fuck out of Dalton at _ least _ once during the school-week. 

“I’d like it to be.” Blaine offers earnestly. “I... uh, I think I need to get back to spending more time with you Dalton boys. It’s not that I hate McKinley or Lima or _ anything _ but... I miss you guys.”

Huh.

Forget everyone else, maybe Blaine will be his first proper recruit to the _ Save Blaine _ cause.

They spend dinner talking about Sebastian’s first few days as captain, though Sebastian’s careful not to say too much - he sincerely doubts Blaine’s going to go blab to Berry about the freshman giving Sebastian trouble, but he’s playing it safe. Blaine’d probably tell Hummel, and Sebastian knows enough about Kurt to know that anything he knows, Rachel eventually knows too.

For his part, Blaine updates him on Schuester’s proposal plans. Sebastian takes great pleasure in telling him just how ridiculous the whole thing is and can’t help but think Blaine agrees, even if he’ll never admit to it. Otherwise, McKinley drama seems to be at an all time low which is frankly disappointing. Sebastian asks how the Troubletones are dealing with their Sectionals loss, but Blaine more or less avoids the question with a quick _ it’s not like I talk to them_.

“So where is your boyfriend?” Sebastian asks eventually, pushing what’s left of his food around his plate. His meal had been unexpectedly tasty but then again, he doubts Blaine would have taken him somewhere awful.

“Breadstix with Finn and Rachel.” Blaine says. “Letters for NYADA finalists have started going out, so he and Rach are freaking out.”

“And you’re not with them... _ why _?” Not that Sebastian minds, obviously. It just seems weird. As much as he hates to admit it, Blaine and Kurt seem to be attached at the hip a lot of the time - why would Blaine not be with Kurt while he’s freaking out?

Blaine shrugs, looking a little uncomfortable. “I wanted to go, but Finn’s having a rough time. The three of us agreed it might be better if I stayed away.” Then he brightens, smiling at Sebastian. “Anyway, I’m here with you! It’s not like I won’t see them tomorrow if they still need some help.”

“Well. It’s not like I’m complaining, B.” Sebastian says, grinning back at Blaine. “We should come back here some time. Not before we go back to Scandals- _ seriously _, those drag queens are still asking me about you- but you know, eventually.”

“Next week? On the Scandals thing, I mean.”

“Yeah, sure.” _ It’s a date. _

_ -ss- _

The rest of Sebastian’s week is woefully uneventful outside of the fact that the Warbler practices on Thursday and Friday go almost suspiciously well. Sebastian almost wants to question the club about it, but instead opts to grill David and Thad over how they think things are going - nobody would know the answer better than they would.

They both say it’s going well, at least. David overheard Skylar passing on Sebastian’s advice to most of the younger members, who were all apparently pleased at what they were hearing. A few of the upperclassmen have approached Sebastian too, mostly to ask inane questions but nobody’s come out as totally against his plans. It’s almost business as normal, thankfully without Thad’s fucking gavel.

Sebastian has also been approached by no less than twenty Warblers wanting to thank him for getting rid of that thing. Thad pouts _ every _ time and honestly? So, so worth it.


	4. trying to live without your love is one long sleepless night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sebastian has a sneaking suspicion that this is either the best idea he’s ever had or it’s by far the worst.
> 
> (Until proven otherwise, he’ll assume it’s the former. All ideas of his are the best ideas. Duh.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fuck this chapter. I’m sad.
> 
> Anyway, I didn’t know where exactly to place I Want You Back. Artie, Blaine, Kurt and Rachel are all wearing the same outfits in the clip that they were wearing at the Lima Bean which should make it Monday, but I got the impression they were meeting there after school and it didn’t make sense for the Warblers to all randomly be available after 6 to perform that (I’ve moved Lima and Westerville to be an hour apart instead of nearly two, but there’s still a fuckton of limitations regarding timing and such). It’s on Tuesday afternoon, placed just a little while after the school day (ditching McKinley isn’t necessarily difficult, especially with Santana leading the charge) with Bad taking place far later that same night.
> 
> Although he was in the episode, Warbler David isn’t present for the majority of this chapter. I needed one Warbler who wasn’t Wes to not be involved in the slushying for future reasons and in terms of character, David definitely made the most sense. I’ve also switched Jeff and Nick in terms of their attitudes in the episode (Nick seems to be pretty front and center, urging Sebastian on after I Want You Back and actually holding the slushy during Bad while Jeff’s mostly in the background for both numbers, though both are curiously all in for Black or White so idk what’s happening tbh) just because with how I’ve envisioned/developed them, it made more sense to trade their roles.
> 
> This chapter also introduces my favorite ongoing joke of Sebastian purely knowing all freshmen (excluding Skylar) by various cereal names. It’s annoying as shit, so I’m sorry about that.
> 
> This chapter includes the interaction between Karofsky and Sebastian that is shown in On My Way, so please tread lightly if that is something that triggers you (it’s the last scene of this chapter, so it’s easy to skip).
> 
> I think that’s it. Enjoy the chapter!

Sebastian’s weekend is spent in David and Thad’s dorm, the three of them planning out their next performance at the children’s hospital. Sebastian would rather go it alone but David and Thad had already started working out some ideas before handing the leadership over, so he supposes they have equal claim to the planning process. It goes easily, if a little boring, but Sebastian doesn’t totally mind - this performance is before Regionals, so it’ll be an easy way to show any doubtful Warblers, Dalton students or teachers that he’s more than capable of taking over.

Jon spends the entire weekend staying at Dalton too, and Sebastian’s about two seconds away from inviting Jeff into their dorm just to try and get _ some _ idea why Jon’s being so much weirder than usual. Jeff would annoy Jon into admitting why, right? It’s kind of his specialty. When he mentions his plan to Nick, Nick tells him he’s an idiot and to _ let Jon have his space_. 

It makes him wonder if Jon and Nick are secretly friends. Sebastian would’ve noticed, he’s pretty sure - the three of them are in AP Lit together, after all. But Jon and Nick don’t seem put-out by the fact that Trent sits with Nick while Sebastian sits with Jon. Maybe he needs to look a little closer? Who knows.

Admittedly, Nick is a _ nice _ person. It’s why Sebastian’s avoiding talking to him about the let’s-break-Blaine-and-Kurt-up thing. He’s probably just being considerate. Yawn.

“This weekend _ sucks_.” Sebastian moans at one point on Sunday, ignoring the way both David and Thad are snickering at him. Seriously though, he hasn’t left Dalton since dinner with Blaine on Wednesday. He’s going to go absolutely fucking insane.

“You’ll be free tomorrow,” Thad tells him pleasantly. “You could take a trip out of town after rehearsal. Didn’t you say you really liked the coffee at that one place in Lima?”

_ Ugh_, the Lima Bean. Sebastian actually does like the coffee there - it’s the best he’s had since Paris, he’s reasonably sure - but it’s still not great. Adding that to the fact that Kurt is somehow _ always _ there, Sebastian’s been giving it a wide berth for the past week. Lady Hummel’s fun to piss off and all, but he’s so _ exhausted _ with all the Warblers bullshit that he’s pretty sure he’d spill about _ Save Blaine _ and honestly, no thanks.

“Maybe.” he says anyway, because he’s pretty sure he’ll stop functioning without coffee pretty soon. “Wanna come with, or do you have your lame tennis bullshit?”

(_Seriously_, how is the tennis society the most obnoxious of all at Dalton? _ Thad_’s in it. Outside of his weird obsession with his gavel, Thad’s way too uptight to be obnoxious.)

“Sebastian!” Thad snaps. It’s his turn to avoid David and Sebastian’s snickers. Serves him right. “Tennis isn’t _ lame_!”

“I mean, it is a little.” David murmurs before redirecting the conversation back to the task at hand.

_ -ss- _

Sebastian’s Monday is relatively quiet, outside of his calculus teacher declaring his love of triangles. It’s such a weird moment (seriously, it’s a _ calculus _ class) but the entire classroom almost simultaneously bursts into laughter which is such a strange happenstance at Dalton that even Mr. Weisman struggles to keep a straight face.

They do end up walking away from class with extra homework though, so Mr. Weisman gets the last laugh. 

At lunch though, Sebastian gets a text from Blaine.

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ Mr. Schue’s talking about doing Michael again??? Help. _

_ For a competition? _Sebastian wants to ask. Almost does, honestly. But he _ knows _ New Directions, knows it’s far too soon for them to start thinking about Regionals but-

**<<<TEXT SENT: Thad Harwood, David Thompson**  
_ thinking about putting mj into consideration for regionals. _ _  
_ _ show nd we can do their performances better than they could. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: David Thompson**  
_ It’s definitely an idea! _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Thad Harwood**  
_ David loves it, ignore him. We’ll work on some numbers this week and see! _

Sebastian has a sneaking suspicion that this is either the best idea he’s ever had or it’s by far the worst. 

(Until proven otherwise, he’ll assume it’s the former. All ideas of his are the best ideas. Duh.)

_ -ss- _

Sebastian does end up at the Lima Bean after rehearsal. One of the bartenders from Scandals calls him to let him know there’s some dumb promotion going on so he was planning to be in the city anyway.

He hears the New Directions before he sees them, because of _ course _ they’re talking loud enough to be heard over the loud din of the cafe. Sebastian can only pick out Artie and Kurt’s voices but when he glances over, he sees that Blaine, Rachel and Santana are all there too. 

Looking at them, Sebastian realises that he’s never seen Lopez in-person before, at least not outside of her Anita costume. Even when she came out to talk to Blaine after the show, she was still in full-costume and sporting her accent. That’s a weird fucking thought, especially considering how everyone was so sure he was suddenly a suicide-risk when she got outed.

“Sebastian, here’s your coffee.” the barista announces, startling Sebastian from his realisation. “You good?” Sebastian waves her off as he takes his coffee then he starts walking towards the general area where the New Directions are all sitting. 

Berry’s talking when he gets there, but he only catches the tail-end of what she’s saying, “...since you guys are so _ jazzed _ about him, I think he’s a good idea for Regionals.”

_ Holy shit_. New Directions actually thinking about their setlist before the week of the competition? Sebastian looks through the window to give outside a cursory glance, surprised to find that there’s no pigs flying. It’s an _ awful _ idea, sure - doing the same theme twice in a row screams mediocrity, but it’s still surprising.

“Actually,” Sebastian starts, halting his walk just beside Abrams. He grins back at Hummel’s glare as he continues, “That might _ not _ be the best idea.”

Everyone’s smiles fall at that, which- _ God_, public schoolers. Lopez is glaring at him too, while Abrams and Berry are gazing at him curiously. Blaine looks straight-up uncomfortable, but Sebastian’s going to guess it’s because of his two worlds colliding. “Hey, B.” he offers after a moment. Without looking away from Blaine, Sebastian adds, “Hello, everyone else.”

“Does he _ live _ here or something?” Hummel snarks, glancing over at Blaine who shrinks under the sudden attention. Kurt must notice as something in his gaze softens and he gives Blaine’s shoulder a little rub. Ew, affection. After a moment, Kurt’s glancing over at Sebastian, frowning again. “Seriously, you are _ always _ here!”

“_Anyway_,” Abrams interrupts, sounding insistent enough that Sebastian looks away from Blaine and Kurt to look down at him. “Why do you think that isn’t a good idea?”

Ah. The million dollar question. Stealing New Directions’ idea for a theme is still a _ good _ idea, Sebastian’s willing to stand by that. But... it’s hard, owning up to it in front of Blaine. Blaine who is _ definitely _ going to take this personally, and Sebastian can definitely see Hummel taking this as an opportunity to try and get between their friendship.

Oh well.

He knew what he was getting into.

Sebastian shrugs, feigning indifference. “Because _ we’re _ doing MJ for Regionals.”

The Warblers definitely _ aren’t_, if Sebastian’s being honest. New Directions doing their own theme twice over may scream mediocrity, but another group picking up their theme just seems desperate. Especially since Sebastian’s planning on going a similar direction to _ Control _ with his own choreography, if a lot more synchronized. But he knows New Directions well enough, knows that this is going to shake them. Maybe force them off their game entirely, if he’s lucky.

Sebastian takes a moment to consider Santana, who’s glaring hotly back at him. Maybe Blaine’s lips are a little too loose to hold all of New Directions secrets, but he definitely hadn’t mentioned Lopez coming back into the fold. He wonders if all the Troubletones are back in New Directions now. If so, New Directions _ definitely _ needs to be off their game.

“You see, Warblers drew first position. So as soon as I heard what your plan was, I changed our setlist accordingly.” 

“I’m _ sorry_,” Berry interrupts, a touch too-shrill. “How did you hear?!”

Yikes. Sorry Blaine.

“Blaine told me this morning.” Sebastian answers with a shrug, glancing over at Blaine for a moment- he looks _ horrified _ and _ betrayed _ and well, fuck. He bought this on himself, after all. Who the fuck tells the competition their plans?

_ Blaine didn’t see him as competition_, he realises. It’s a tough pill to swallow.

Nonetheless, he pushes on, ignoring how everyone is turning away from him to glare at Blaine. “I was about to ask him for some advice on how to get red wine out of my blazer piping and he would _ not _ stop going on about it.” It’s not entirely a lie. Sebastian really does need that advice. He supposes he’ll have to ask David or Thad now, since he doubts Blaine’s going to be telling him _ anything _ in the near future.

For a moment, Sebastian wonders if Blaine is going to tell him anything _ ever _ again. If their roles were reversed, Sebastian would have cut Blaine out of his life without a second thought - _ nobody _ embarasses a Smythe, especially not little boys who gave up a prestigious education for _ Kurt Hummel_. But Blaine isn’t Sebastian, is far too forgiving to hold a grudge over even this. Not for long, anyway. 

“I... may have mentioned it.” Blaine admits after a few moments. Lopez scoffs, reaching over to pinch at his hand and Blaine yelps before batting her hand away. Out of the corner of his eye, Sebastian can see that neither Abrams or Berry are glaring at Blaine anymore - both look very annoyed, but Berry looks more confused than anything. On the other hand, Abrams is looking oddly thoughtful. 

“Exactly how much do you two talk?” Hummel asks, almost as shrill as Berry was just moments before.

Sebastian can definitely see where that rabbit hole’s going to lead, so he interrupts Kurt’s incoming tirade with, “Hey Kurt, oh my god. I didn’t recognise you. You’re wearing boys clothes for once!” It’s definitely not his smoothest work, but it does the job - the heat’s mostly off Blaine (_s__eriously_, Sebastian might introduce Abrams to Nick, they both have that same creepy stare nailed down) but the pure silence after that is... unnerving, to say the least.

Kurt’s gaping at him, mouth opening and closing a few times as he tries to come up with some retort. Rachel seems similarly speechless which Sebastian takes as a compliment because _ hello_, making Rachel Berry speechless is one hell of an achievement. Lopez is what surprises him most of all, because there’s something awfully understanding in her gaze. It freaks him out. Can’t she just yell at him?

After about thirty seconds, Lopez seems to come back to herself as she jumps up from her seat, clenching an empty coffee cup tightly in her hand. “Alright twink, I think it’s about time I show you a little Lima Heights hospitality.” 

_ Wow_. Better than Hummel but still not anywhere near intimidating. Weren’t public school kids meant to be overly aggressive freaks? Well, he’s still waiting to see Puckerman angry. Not all hope is lost.

Also, _ twink_? Boring. It’s better than Hummel’s Craigslist insult, at least. Sebastian’s still not sure what the fuck was meant by that one.

Sebastian levels an entirely unimpressed look at Lopez and sneers, “Unless you wanna join your relatives in prison, that’s probably not the best idea.” Sebastian vaguely remembers Blaine mentioning Santana’s father was actually a doctor, but what the fuck would a doctor be doing on the shitty side of town?

Well. It’s Lima. Every side of town is the shitty side. Still.

“See, my dad’s sort of what you’d call a state’s attorney.” No way is Sebastian about to discuss the fact that Ohio doesn’t have a state’s attorney with a bunch of McKinley’s finest, so he continues quickly, “But if you wanted a pinata delivered, I bet he’d make sure that got to them.” There. If any of them knew the truth, they’d be too pissed off at him to press. 

Santana’s glare melts away as she glances around at her classmates, but none of them are quite jumping to her defence. They all seem angry, sure - outside of Blaine, who just looks plain sad, and _ no_, Sebastian doesn’t care - but they’re all perfectly quiet. Maybe New Directions isn’t the cohesive unit they want everyone to believe.

“Alright, so here’s what you guys should know: I’m captain of the Warblers now and I’m tired of being nice.” Kurt looks surprised enough that Sebastian _ knows _ that Blaine hadn’t mentioned the Warblers ditching the council and honestly, Sebastian’s beginning to wonder what these two even talk about. There’s some _ serious _ communication issues there if even he’s picking up on them. “If you’d like, we’re performing tomorrow afternoon and we’re always open to visitors. Hope to see you there.”

He parts with a grin and pretends he doesn’t hear Berry, Hummel and Lopez bitching at Blaine as he leaves.

_ -ss- _

**[WARBLER CHAT]** **  
** **<<<TEXT SENT: Warbler Chat**  
_ impromptu performance tomorrow afternoon. has to be mj, suggestions? _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Panic! at the Disco**  
_ Billie Jean. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Sunshine**  
_ Why MJ??? _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Warbler Chat**  
_ showing nd we’re better than them. _  
**<<<TEXT RECEIVED: David Thompson**  
_ Beat It. _ _  
_ _ I’m actually gonna be out this week though, good luck tomorrow guys! _ _  
_ _ Go easy on Blaine, Seb. _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Warbler Chat**  
_ will do. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Sunshine** **  
** _ Heal the World. _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Warbler Chat**  
_ this is war trent, not a big hug. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Sunshine**  
_ Are you forgetting that Blaine and Kurt are our friends? _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Warbler Chat**  
_ please. when was the last time any of you talked to hummel? _

_ -ss- _

_ Sunflower calling... _

“Jeff?” 

Normally, Sebastian would be wary of any phone call from Jeff. Literally every Warbler jokes about how Jeff _ refuses _ to have phone calls with anyone, even his family - they usually Skype, apparently. But the timing is a little too convenient and Sebastian really wants to know more about what the fuck happened with Hummel after he left Dalton. 

“Hey, Bas,” Jeff greets, sounding far-more subdued than Sebastian’s used to. “I- I have a song, first of all.”

“Yeah?”

“_I Want You Back_. Maybe. I don’t know.”

“Oh.” Sebastian says quietly. It’s not entirely what he was expecting this call to be about, but- it’s one hell of an idea, and it hits what Sebastian wants to get across in the performance. He’ll have to text Beatbox as soon as this call is over, hope that he can come up with some feasible acapella by the time the New Directions visit tomorrow. “That’s great, Jeff. Really good. Thank you. Is that all?”

_ Please say no. _

“No.” Jeff answers, then is silent for a long while. Just as Sebastian’s about to press, he continues, “A few Thursdays ago, we were talking about Blaine in chemistry. Remember?”

“Yeah, of course.” Sebastian hopes that he isn’t coming across too desperate, but two weeks is a _ long _ time to wait for this conversation. “Why?”

“You asked when was the last time any of us had talked to Kurt, right?” Jeff asks, but continues on before Sebastian can answer. “It was before he transferred, for me. I know Nick talked to him at _ West Side_, but... next to Blaine, I was probably the closest to him. Maybe Trent, too. I’ve texted him a few times, tried to set up something, but he obviously isn’t interested. And I just... don’t get it, I guess. I know we were never his best friends or anything, but we went to school together for a little while. We were in a lot of the same classes, him and I. We even hung out outside of class a few times. Usually with Blaine and Wes, but still. And he just... _ left_, and that was kind of it.

“And I was fine with it. Mostly. It happens, you know? It’s whatever.” _ Sure_, Sebastian wants to say but he stays quiet, lets Jeff continue. “But then summer happened and we _ barely _ got to see Blaine. He’d message us all the time, it wasn’t like he completely froze us out, but he was always busy - with Kurt, obviously. And it was like... we could _ see _ it happening, almost. Blaine would mention that Kurt was trying to convince him to move to McKinley and- wait, do you even know why Blaine came to Dalton in the first place?”

“Uh. No. I asked David and Thad, but they said they didn’t know.”

Jeff snorts. “David _ definitely _ knows.”

Sebastian figured as much. Thad definitely likes Blaine, misses him just as much as everyone else, but David’s consistently been far more protective of Blaine than anyone else by _ far_. Though Sebastian does have a feeling that if he met Wes, David would be easily knocked out of that position. “So?”

Jeff sighs into the phone and Sebastian can almost feel him shrug. “I can’t say, but... some _ bad _ stuff happened to him at his old school. Like, _ really _ bad. He came to Dalton to be safe. And I- I can’t pretend to know what was going on in Blaine’s head when he agreed to transfer to McKinley, but it just felt like he was just trying to make Kurt happy. Blaine’d do anything to make any of _ us _ happy, after all. That must be multiplied by like, a thousand for his boyfriend, right?”

Well.

This goes deeper than Sebastian expected.

Shit.

“So _ I Want You Back _ is personal?” Sebastian asks when he’s done processing all Jeff’s thrown at him, grinning when the other boy huffs out a laugh.

“Maybe.” Jeff allows, still chuckling a little. “Think it’s a little more personal for you, though.”

“Stop pretending you know me, sunflower.”

“_Bas_! Stop it!”

_ -ss- _

Sebastian ends up ditching Scandals after about ten minutes.

He has a performance to plan, choreograph and teach by five o’clock tomorrow.

Is this what responsibility feels like? Gross.

(He kind of lives for it.)

_ -ss- _

**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ you guys coming tomorrow? _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ Yes. _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ are you actually upset about what happened at the lima bean? _

**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ blaine? _

**<<<TEXT SENT: Killer**  
_ Blaine, seriously. We’re competition now. Telling me shit like that is going to come back on you, regardless. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Killer**  
_ Yeah, I got that. _ _  
_ _ I just need some time, Bas. I’ll see you tomorrow. _

“Your boyfriend bitching?”

Sebastian certainly does _ not _ jump at Jon’s sudden question, thank you very much. If Jon’s snickering at him, that’s just because Jon has more than a few screws loose.

“I don’t _ have _ a boyfriend.” Sebastian answers after a long moment, frowning over at Jon who seems awfully pleased with himself.

“Sure you don’t, Smythe.” Jon retorts, snickers giving way to a smug smile.

Sebastian eyes Jon warily, wondering how much he’d have to pay Jeff to switch rooms with him. Nick would be a far saner roommate, right? He’d have to be. After deciding it would cost him far too much, Sebastian sighs. “You’re such a fucking freak, Matthewson.”

_ -ss- _

“Listen, Mrs. H-”

“_Smythe_.” Haynes interrupts, her voice firm. “This period is called _ study hall_, is that right? Not _ dance break_?”

“I- Yes.”

“So you and Sterling will spend it _ studying_, will you not?”

“We will, Mrs. H.” Sebastian concedes, bowing his head as she walks away. Out of the corner of his eye, Sebastian sees Jeff slump back in his seat, clearly disappointed. Sebastian can relate. It’s not like he hates study hall as a concept, he actually finds it incredibly useful - it’s just that... their performance this afternoon needs to be _ perfect_.

Or not quite.

Close to perfect. _ Almost _ perfect. 

The prospect of facing the New Directions at Regionals is certainly intimidating, but the Warblers do have one thing to their advantage: Sebastian. Maybe that’s a _ little _ bit him blowing smoke up his own ass, but it’s mostly the truth. In past years, the Warblers have always performed the exact same routine, maybe with a few variations. Sebastian’s new direction for the club is something else entirely, and it’s totally going to take all the other clubs by surprise.

As much as Sebastian wants to show off, it’ll absolutely ruin the element of surprise they have going for them.

Anyway. Achieving next-to-perfect takes _ time _ and Jeff and Sebastian were both really hoping to be able to take their study hall period off and work on blocking out choreography. 

“Maybe at lunch?” Jeff suggests after a while, but even he sounds a little hopeless.

“Maybe.” Sebastian says absently, wondering if he could convince their Chemistry teacher to let them off for the day - it’s the period before lunch, so it’d leave them with two whole hours to work. Sebastian worked out most of the basics last night, he just needs Jeff’s help to figure out the finer points so two hours should be more than enough. “Or maybe I’ll talk to Mr. F.”

“Ooh!” Jeff exclaims in a loud whisper. Haynes snaps her head back around to look at them, making Sebastian wince. Jeff raises his hand in apology before looking back down at his open textbook and pretending to work. Quietly, he continues, “We could just ditch.”

“Or not.” 

Sebastian knows for a fact that his father _ will _ murder him if he starts ditching classes. He would like to live long enough to actually compete at Regionals, thank you.

_ -ss- _

It’s a little rough, but Sebastian’s happy with how _ I Want You Back _’s turned out. He’s got one of the runts keeping an eye out for Blaine and his merry band of McKinley freaks, so it’s just a matter of waiting now.

The Warblers as a whole seem excited about the performance, but Sebastian knows that a few of the upperclassmen aren’t too happy with Sebastian declaring war on New Directions. Trent’s the only person noticeably vocal about it, but Sebastian isn’t as unaffected by Beatbox and Nick’s obvious disapproval as he’s pretending to be.

Sebastian just isn’t sure what the fuck the issue actually is. It’s not like he’s picking on New Directions for nothing; they’re competing against each other. He’d do the same to the Golden Goblets if he thought they were a real threat, too.

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Fruit Loops**  
_ new directions spotted at entrance _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Fruit Loops** **  
** _ let me know when they’re through security. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Fruit Loops** **  
** _ they’ve been here for like 5 minutes _ _  
_ _ what are they doing??? _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Fruit Loops**  
_ blaine’s probably bosom buddies w the guard. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Fruit Loops**  
_ they’re through _

“Places!” Sebastian yells. The sound of twenty Warblers clambering around the room makes him smile. Maybe all they needed to come together was a proper performance like this.

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Frosties**  
_ they’re parked! _

“We’re really doing this without the freshmen?” Thad asks, apparently busying himself with reading Sebastian’s phone over his shoulder. He’d be annoyed, but he’s beginning to realise the majority of the Warblers have no concept of privacy. “And they’re okay with it?”

“I told them they could audition for solos at Regionals.” Sebastian explains with a shrug. It’d been an easy compromise - they didn’t have a long time to practice and the freshmen didn’t have the experience to be able to pick up the choreography quite as quickly as everyone else.

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Lucky Charms**  
_ They’re at the entrance. Why do we not have wheelchair ramps? _ _  
_ _ Wait, isn’t that illegal? _

Poor Abrams.

“Beatbox, tee-minus thirty seconds.”

And so it begins.

_ -ss- _

It goes (almost) perfectly.

Until-

“Well,” Sebastian starts, breaking formation - the other Warblers relax behind him, but don’t move too far from their places. Sebastian likes it. It makes them seem like one single unit, which is especially effective against the fractured New Directions. “If you guys wanna forfeit now, you can go ahead.” Jeff nudges him gently, gesturing with his head towards Blaine. “Right! Blaine- if you wanna rejoin the group you abandoned...”

Blaine frowns at Sebastian, though he clearly makes sure to lock eyes with as many Warblers as possible. Sebastian looks over at Nick and Trent, not the least bit surprised to see them looking back at Blaine with clear apologies written on their faces. _ Pathetic_. 

“You know,” Blaine says slowly, voice devoid of warmth in a way Sebastian isn’t familiar with. “I used to be _ really _ proud of being a Warbler.” Blaine steps up towards Sebastian and even with their notable height difference, Sebastian doesn’t feel like laughing at him. Blaine might not be intimidating, but... he’s so mild-mannered most of the time, usually lets even the most cutting of Sebastian’s remarks roll off his back. Seeing Blaine actually attempt to stand up to him?

Maybe this was a bad idea. 

Fuck.

Blaine’s still talking, so Sebastian forces himself to focus on him. “Not because we were good but because we were really classy.” Despite himself, Sebastian lets out a huff of amusement. Yes, performing P!nk’s _ Raise Your Glass _ is truly the epitome of class. “None of that was classy. _ Nothing _.”

Abrams, Berry and Hummel are staring at Blaine, looking vaguely impressed - Sebastian has to admit, of the members of New Directions that have so-far attempted to insult him, Blaine’s been the most successful. Not because of the actual insult- that was _ weak _ at best- but because he undermined Sebastian in front of his team.

Oh, Anderson’s playing dirty.

Hot.

Lopez is still looking at the Warblers though, seeming entirely unimpressed. Well.

“And what did you think, Shaqueera?”

“Thought you sucked, Fivel.” Lopez shoots back quickly, crossing her arms as she regards the Warblers - there’s something angry to her face now and Sebastian’s sure some of the weaker Warblers are cowering under her stare. Sebastian just finds her amusing. “And if that’s your best MJ, I’m gonna wipe the floor at Regionals with your wannabe Disney Prince haircut.”

Sebastian bites his tongue. His mom had always made it very clear how much she liked this haircut. But maybe that’s just a sign he should be looking into something new.

Jeff and Thad are snickering at her attempted insult so Sebastian turns away from Lopez to grin at them, thinking that will be the end of it. New Directions might be trying to hide it, but no fucking way are they not spooked by that performance. If the Warblers can whip that up in less than twenty four hours, Sebastian’s excited to think about what they could come up with if they had a few weeks to organise.

He’s surprised when Berry starts speaking, “Meet us tonight. Blaine will be texting you the details shortly.” 

Intriguing.

_ -ss- _

The address Blaine sends him belongs to a long-abandoned parking garage, according to Google Maps.

“Why do I get the feeling they’re setting up for a porno?” Sebastian muses aloud. 

Jon glances at him, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Is this because I said you had a boyfriend?”

Sebastian throws a pencil in his general directions, grinning when Jon grunts due to an apparent impact. “No. New Directions are being freaks.”

“Your boyfriend’s club?”

Sebastian wishes he had another pencil. Instead, he throws his rude finger up and collapses back on his bed as he picks his phone back up to text the Warblers where they’ll be meeting New Directions.

**[WARBLER CHAT]** **  
** **>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Beatbox**  
_ Are they setting up for a porno or something? _

_ -ss- _

**<<<TEXT SENT: Sunflower**  
_ on the way to the porno, i need you to stop in at 7/11 and buy a slushie. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Sunflower**  
_ got it _ _  
_ _ what stains the worst? _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Sunflower**  
_ purple? red? blue? _

_ -ss- _

Blaine and Santana are the ones to greet the Warblers when they arrive.

Sebastian wishes he was surprised. As the year goes on, he’s steadily meeting more and more members of New Directions. Berry might be the fiercest show choir competitor, but as a person Sebastian isn’t particularly impressed by her. Puckerman could easily break him in half, but otherwise doesn’t seem to have two brain cells to string together. Blaine and Santana might not be the wittiest of people, but Sebastian feels safe in assuming that they’re definitely the best New Directions has to offer. 

Could be worse.

Even if they look a touch hysterical in matching leather jackets.

“Well, we’re here.”

“We’ve got something to settle,” Blaine starts, looking uncharacteristically stern. It really doesn’t help with the whole _ shooting a porno _ vibe Sebastian’s getting, but it’s not like he’s about to complain. “Both of us want to use MJ, but only one can.”

“We’re having a Jackson-off, Nick at Nite.” Santana interjects. She shares a smug smile with Blaine before she concludes with, “Winner gets the King of Pop to use at Regionals.”

“What, us against the two of you?” Sebastian presses. He has no doubt the remaining members of New Directions are somewhere within the building, but he’s confused why Blaine and Santana were the only ones present to meet the Warblers. If it made sense to isolate anyone, Sebastian would’ve thought Blaine and Hummel would be the way to go. Maybe there’s more to Hummel losing touch with the Warblers than even Jeff knows. 

The fact that it’s _ Blaine and Santana _ together is outright confusing, too. The two of them were present for _ I Want You Back_, sure, but as far as Sebastian knows the two of them don’t particularly get along very well. Hell, he’d been surprised to even see them both at the Lima Bean with a handful of other New Directions members. Alone together is a whole different ball game.

Blaine might be incapable of holding a grudge, but Lopez seems quite the opposite. Or well, she _ seemed _ like she was. Maybe Sebastian’s read her wrong. Or maybe she’s realised she’s full of shit for getting angry at Blaine over him singing a stupid fucking song. Who knows.

“You really think you’re that bad?” Sebastian adds, raising his eyebrows. “Is that what they teach at that little public school at yours?”

Blaine and Santana share another smile. 

“We’ll see who’s bad.”

_ -ss- _

Here’s the thing: _ Bad _ is amazing.

New Directions are surprisingly fun to perform with, and even Hudson’s complete lack of dance skill doesn’t interfere with that. Sebastian mostly dances around with Lopez, but there’s a moment where he’s harmonizing with Blaine and-

It feels right. It sounds _ amazing_. It’s much better than anything Blaine’s done with Hummel, Sebastian’s sure of it.

But then, towards the end of the number-

Jeff hands him the slushie.

It’s cherry.

The smell is so artificial and potent that it stings Sebastian’s nose.

There’s a few handfuls of rock salt in there- courtesy of a few of the older students, boys like Jeff and Thad who are upset at Hummel for his swift departure and his role in Blaine’s eventual transfer.

There’s nothing seriously untoward about the whole thing, the rock salt is meant to make the slushie taste even worse than usual and has the added bonus of making stains more likely.

But when Sebastian throws the slushie, there’s this awful moment just before impact and he barely sees Hummel getting pushed out of the way.

He hears Blaine land, though. Hears him scream, too.

_ -ss- _

“Bas, we have to go.” Jeff says quietly. Sebastian barely hears him over Blaine’s yells, certainly doesn’t turn to look at him. _ Go? _Where would they even go? Back to Dalton, probably. Dalton, which Blaine called home for two years; Dalton, still full of people who absolutely adore Blaine. No. They can’t go back there. Not now.

“Has someone called an ambulance?” Fabray asks. It’s the first thing any of the New Directions have said to the Warblers _ since_, apart from Brittany’s horrified _ oh my god_. Sebastian’s still expecting Lopez and Puckerman to turn around and start tearing him apart, limb by limb. “Don’t just _ stand _ there, get him help! _ You did this_!” She adds after a moment, eyes flashing as she glares at the Warblers. Sebastian wonders if she’d be glaring if he could hear Nick crying behind him or Trent trying to talk him down from a panic attack. Probably. Nick and Trent aren’t even on her radar. It’s just him. Jeff too, maybe. Sebastian’s not sure if anyone noticed him holding the slushie.

Before Sebastian can even consider it, Thad’s already whipped out his phone and is hurriedly giving information to the operator. He’s being completely honest, _ too _ honest, Sebastian wants to take over and try to smooth things out but he can’t _ fucking move _-

He’s too busy staring down at Blaine, who’s yells are giving way to pained sobs. Berry and Evans have a firm grip on a wrist each, apparently trying to keep Blaine from attempting to claw the salt out of his eyes. Hummel’s sitting down with him, rubbing Blaine’s temples and whispering something that Sebastian can’t hope to hear over all the commotion. The rest of New Directions are talking among themselves, but they’re gathered around Blaine. Like a shield, Sebastian realises after too long. They’re trying to protect him. 

Too little, too late.

“They’re on their way.” Thad announces, his voice shaky.

“Good.” Lopez grunts, glancing over her shoulder at the Warblers. She seems _ terrifyingly _ angry now and Sebastian finally gets why Blaine was so worried about being on the receiving end of her ire. “Now get the fuck away from us.”

“He’s our friend.” Thad responds, sounding more than a little desperate.

Lopez scoffs but it’s Puckerman who replies, “Yeah, you do that to all your friends?”

“It was an accident!” 

“What, you meant to hit Kurt?” Lopez asks, storming over to where the Warblers are standing and violently jabbing Thad’s chest with her finger. “Fuck. You.”

“What did you do to that slushie, anyway?” someone asks. Sebastian’s not sure who, still can’t bring himself to look up and see if he recognises them, but he thinks it might be Mike. “We’ve all been slushied, it’s never done this to _ any _ of us before.”

“Nothing.” Jeff answers. Sebastian was never expecting _ Jeff _ to be the calm one in a time of crisis, but Sterling just keeps surprising him. “Maybe he’s just allergic to the dye.”

“Shut the fuck up, Barbie.” Lopez snarks. “He’s been slushied before and he was _ fine_.”

“Wait, has he?” someone questions. Hudson, maybe.

“Of course he has, dipshit.” Santana confirms, voice small. Sebastian wants to know the story, but he doesn’t think he’ll ever get to hear it now. “That’s not the point. Point is, you pansies need to get the fuck _ out _ of here. This is _ assault _. My aunt’s a lawyer, I’ll definitely have her call Blaine’s parents to help take all of your sorry asses to court.”

“Oh my _ God_.” Nick moans behind him, sounding horrified - almost immediately after, Sebastian hears two pairs of footsteps retreating. Trent finally took Nick away to try and calm him down, thankfully. Dazedly, Sebastian wonders how many hot chocolates he’ll have to buy for Nick to even consider forgiving him for this.

He’s pretty sure it’ll be more than one.

“We’re _ staying_.” Thad asserts, apparently unintimidated by Santana. “Right, Bas?”

Sebastian feels the full force of everyone’s stares as they turn on him. The unoccupied New Directions members are glaring at him, unsurprisingly; but he’s stunned to discover that many of the remaining Warblers are glaring, too. The underclassmen all left shortly after the incident, ushered away by Beatbox and Trent, so it’s the older members that are angry with him. Fuck. _ Fuck_.

“Actually,” Sebastian begins, voice thick with an emotion he doesn’t dare name. He clears his throat before continuing, “I think they’re right, we should go. I’m sorry, Thad.”

Sebastian wonders if he imagines that Blaine’s cries grow even louder as the Warblers begin to walk away.

_ -ss- _

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: David Thompson**  
_ What the fuck is wrong with you?! _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: David Thompson**  
_ a lot. _

_ -ss- _

As luck would have it, Sebastian’s first class on Wednesday is with Beatbox _ and _ Trent.

“I can talk to someone, have you marked as sick.” Jon offers just before he leaves their dorm in the morning, obviously having noticed that Sebastian hasn’t even left his bed yet.

“Don’t.” Sebastian says anyway. “I’m just... skipping breakfast. I’ll see you in lit.”

Jon hesitates in the doorway for a long moment. Sebastian doesn’t look up at him, but he wonders what expression is on Jon’s face. Worry? No, definitely not. Anger? Possibly. Sebastian deserves that.

_ -ss- _

“Hello, Mr. Smythe. Thank you for joining us.” Ms. Downey greets when Sebastian bursts into class about ten minutes late. Despite the interruption, she doesn’t seem too upset with him. “May we speak outside?” she asks, gesturing to the open door. Sebastian gives the classroom a cursory glance, somewhat surprised Beatbox and Trent are nowhere to be seen. Are they avoiding him?

“Sure.” Sebastian responds, stepping back outside and waiting for her to make her way out.

“The dean wants to see you.” Ms. Downey tells him after she shuts the door behind them, turning around to face him with concerned eyes. “Is everything okay? The other Warblers in class were taken out, too.”

Ah. That explains it.

No _ way _ is Sebastian telling the truth, though. Ms. Downey is one of his kinder teachers and he’s sure she’d pull some comforting bullshit out of her ass to make him feel less out of control, but he doesn’t _ want _ it. The more people who know the truth, the more likely it is that he’ll get punished - if Sebastian can control the information being released, he can try and downsize his punishment as much as possible.

Anyway. Ms. Downey may be very kind, but she’s also extremely fair - he thinks it’s a history teacher thing - and if Sebastian is in the wrong, she will make sure he’s punished for it.

So he gives her a small shrug, feigning confusion. “I’m... not sure, Ms. D. It might be about our performance at the hospital? You know the big guy is very involved in that side of things. I’ll try and be back before the end of class.”

“Don’t stress, I know he gets very intense sometimes.” Ms. Downey reaches up to pat his shoulder, smiling amusedly. “Have a good day, Sebastian. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Sebastian watches her retreat back to the classroom then is left staring at a closed door. The _ dean _ wants to see him? Sebastian might play the fool, but he knows there’s only _ one _ reason the headmaster would be pulling all the Warblers out of their classes right now. It’s just- he doesn’t know how he already heard about what happened last night. New Directions are chaotic at best, so he doubts any of them stopped to think about contacting someone official so soon after the incident. Blaine’s parents, maybe?

(He tries not to imagine Edward and Pam’s reactions to finding out Sebastian assaulted their son. He can’t quite stomach it.)

“Everything okay, son?” a teacher passing him in the hall interrupts Sebastian’s train of thought, looking worried.

“Just peachy.” Sebastian answers sardonically, giving the teacher a brief nod before turning around and walking towards the headmaster’s office. Better to face the music now, anyway.

_ -ss- _

The receptionist’s office is _ full _ of Warblers.

Seriously, Sebastian’s pretty sure that every single Warbler _ but _ David is in here. Most of them look frustrated or morose, so Sebastian’s reasonably confident in thinking they’ve already talked to the headmaster. Jeff and Thad give him grim smiles when they notice him, but Jeff’s attention is quickly snatched away by an ill-looking Nick and Thad goes back to furiously texting on his phone.

So he’s alone.

Great.

“Hi there, Sebastian.” The receptionist greets, barely glancing up from her monitor as he approaches her desk. “Just head on in when you’re ready.”

“How does never sound?”

The receptionist raises a brow but doesn’t reply, which Sebastian would normally take as a challenge but he’s not sure he can do it today. He wants to curse Blaine for fucking with him so drastically, but-

_ You did this! _ Fabray’s voice echoes.

Okay, so maybe taking New Directions’ idea for Regionals is one of Sebastian’s worst ideas.

And maybe he has no one to blame but himself.

_ -ss- _

“Take a seat, Smythe.” is what the dean greets him with. Considering Sebastian was expecting a lot more frustration to be thrown in his direction, he finds the whole thing a bit anticlimactic.

He’s quick to do as requested though, eyeing Dean Johnson warily all the while. Sebastian’s not entirely sure how he’s going to play this, if he’s being honest - Johnson is certainly a man who suffers no fools, so playing dumb is firmly off the table. Sebastian is sure that, above all else, Johnson values honesty but being honest is _ not _ an option.

While what happened last night is a complete accident, Sebastian knows for a fact that his honesty would land him with an assault charge and probably a ticket back to France, not that his mother would house him again.

(Oh _ God _, what if his father sends him away to some desolate boarding school in the middle of nowhere?)

“What’s this about, sir?” Sebastian asks eventually, giving up on figuring out an angle. He _ hates _ having to play anything by ear, but it’s definitely his only real option here.

“Don’t play dumb, it’s not a good look on you.” Johnson reproaches firmly. “You have thirty seconds to explain why you assaulted _ Blaine Anderson_, of all people.”

Sebastian doubts his explanation of _ I was actually aiming at his boyfriend _ would be appreciated, so he clamps his mouth shut. Considers. Then, “It was an accident, sir.”

“You accidentally sent him into _ surgery_?”

What? _ Surgery _? No. No way.

“I- I guess.” Sebastian allows, feeling distinctly like a young child about to be chastised. It’s a foreign feeling - his mother was never a particularly avid advocate for discipline back when he was in her care, and his father isn’t around nearly enough to be effective in any real measure.

“That’s not _ good enough_, Smythe.” Johnson says. “The Anderson’s are long-time friends of Dalton. This will _ destroy _ our relationship, do you understand?”

“I do, sir.” Sebastian answers softly, stomach churning uncomfortably at the mention of Blaine’s family. “My father... he’ll compensate for any donations the Anderson’s withdraw.” 

He _ won’t_, but mostly because Sebastian has no plans to tell his father about this incident. His dad had actually _ liked _ Blaine and would probably flip his shit after learning that Sebastian assaulted him. 

“That’s not the point.”

“What _ is _ the point?”

“You _ assaulted _ someone, Sebastian!” Johnson explodes, one fist slamming down on his desk. When Sebastian fails to react, he lets out a heavy sigh, sagging down in his seat. “This _ will _ reflect badly on Dalton as an institution. I hope you’re proud of yourself.”

“It was an _ accident_.” Sebastian repeats. He knows he’s coming across as uncaring but in all honesty, he’s still stuck on the fact Blaine’s apparently in need of surgery - it was just _ rock salt_, after all. 

“I understand that.” Johnson concedes, even if he doesn’t look very convinced. “But I had a call from a teacher at McKinley early this morning, a Will Schuester, he seemed pretty convinced it was on purpose.”

Sebastian wonders who called Schuester. Blaine’s mentioned that every glee clubber has Schuester’s personal number in case of emergency, so it could’ve been anyone - probably not Hummel, he would’ve been too busy trying to help Blaine. Maybe Hudson, but Sebastian isn’t all too convinced that he’s actually over his grudge. Lopez and Puckerman would already have been working out their revenge too, maybe with Fabray’s help. 

Berry, perhaps? Or even Mike? They definitely seem to be Blaine’s closest friends in New Directions, outside of Kurt himself. Sebastian’s not sure who’s more likely of the two - Rachel seems infinitely more prone to overdramatics, but it’s not like _ on purpose _ is a false observation on what happened last night. Hell, if Berry was behind the phone call, she probably would’ve made out like the Warblers were stone-cold killers.

Mike, then. Probably.

“His students would’ve told him what happened, sir. They were probably pretty freaked out, might’ve remembered things wrong.”

“Maybe.” Johnson allows. Neither of them believe it. “You’re suspended for today, go back to your dorm. We’ll be opening an investigation next week.”

“_Sir_-”

“Do you _ want _ to be suspended for the rest of the week, Smythe?”

“No, but-”

“So go!”

_ -ss- _

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Sunflower**  
_ hey what happened??? _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Sunflower**  
_ suspended for today. _

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Sunshine**  
_ You deserve longer than a day, Sebastian. _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Sunshine**  
_ enjoy your high horse. i didn’t see you actually trying to stop us last night! _

**<<<TEXT SENT: Sunflower**  
_ fuck you for telling trent, dude. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Sunflower**  
_ he’s sitting with me oh my god _ _  
_ _ are you staying in for the day? i’ll come see you at lunch _

_ -ss- _

Okay, don’t get him wrong: Sebastian’s glad for the lax punishment, especially considering that it’s a Wednesday and his suspension doesn’t get in the way of his after school activities. Unless Johnson pulls something out of his ass, that is. Or if the Anderson’s decide to bring legal action against Dalton, because sweeping Sebastian’s actions under the rug is only an option when nobody outside of the school gives a shit. Sebastian doesn’t doubt that Dalton will fight for him, but he’s sure that this is a case he has little chance in winning. If he tries the argument that Blaine wasn’t his intended target, it raises the question of who _ actually _ was and a rich kid like Sebastian picking on someone like Kurt Hummel is never going to look good to a jury.

It’s just that... it’s weird.

Sebastian’s true court will be the one of popular opinion apparently, seeing as the Dean doesn’t care enough to punish him properly. But Sebastian knows who _ does _ care: the students at Dalton. Kids like David, Nick and Trent who were close to Blaine when he was in attendance here, who still care for him, even now. Sebastian has no doubt that many of them will seek to make his life difficult.

Not that he’s particularly worried about it.

Dalton is full of boys who like to talk a big game, but very few of them are capable of following it up like Sebastian is - and those who _ are _ capable are the sort of boys Sebastian is sure will already be on his side: his lacrosse captain, most notably. Which Sebastian is _ definitely _ going to work in his favor. Dalton’s lacrosse team is definitely one of it’s most successful, so he’s relatively sure that, between being an important member to the team as well as the _ captain _ of the Warblers, the general student populus will eventually forgive and forget.

(Beatbox is the only other Warbler who makes the list which Sebastian is refusing to think about, thank you very much.)

But it’s just- Blaine seems to have an issue with the fact that he _ matters _. His relationship with Kurt is a pretty clear indicator of that, but there’s been hints of it otherwise. Edward might not be the homophobic asshole Sebastian imagined, but there’s still the fact that he’s scarcely present across nearly nine years worth of photo albums. There’s also the mysterious brother Cooper, who up-and-left as soon as he could. 

And then there’s the Big Bad Incident that forced Blaine to transfer to Dalton in the first place. Sebastian wishes he knew more about it but knows now, more than ever, that he’ll never learn the story. 

Sebastian doesn’t want to be punished, but he wonders what Blaine will think if he ever learns that Dalton’s knee-jerk reaction was a single day of suspension.

_ -ss- _

As promised, Jeff comes to visit him during lunch.

“Blaine’s going into _ surgery_.” Sebastian says as soon as Jeff opens the door, which is definitely a mistake, in hindsight - when he turns around in his seat to look at his visitor, he sees that Jeff isn’t alone: Nick and Thad are with him, who both look horrified. Jeff looks a little calmer, at least.

(Sebastian may still be stuck on the fact that _ Jeff _ is the one handling this the best. What the fuck, honestly?)

“It- it was just _ salt_,” Thad sounds more than a little desperate. Sebastian thinks he can relate. None of them were dumb enough to think that Blaine was walking away unscathed after having to listen to his screams last night but _ surgery _ is a whole new level. It was just a prank. “How does salt send someone into surgery?”

Sebastian shrugs. It’s weird to admit that he doesn’t have the answers, strips him down bare in a way he isn’t quite comfortable with, so he stays quiet and tries not to see Blaine in his mind’s eye. He’s doesn’t succeed.

After a few moments, surprisingly Nick is the one to break the silence. “You threw _ rock salt _ in his _ eyes _ .” and he’s embodying that same defiance Sebastian has become awfully fond of over the past few weeks, but it’s nowhere near as enjoyable when Sebastian himself is on the receiving end. “Of _ course _ he’s hurt.”

“It was _ salt_.” Thad repeats pitifully.

“_R__ock _ salt.” Nick clarifies, not unkindly. “I don’t know what you guys were planning- and I don’t _ want _ to, seriously Jeff- but that stuff can be pretty dangerous.”

Jeff slumps back on Jon’s bed with a sigh. “Will he be okay?”

“I don’t know.” Nick answers. “His eyes might be scratched and if he swallowed a _ lot _ of it, I know there’s some really nasty side effects there.”

So even if Blaine hadn’t intervened, everything might’ve gone to shit anyway? That somehow doesn’t make Sebastian feel better. Thad doesn’t look particularly appeased by the news either. Jeff still looks carefully blank and Sebastian’s beginning to wonder if Jeff is just a better actor than anyone gives him credit for.

Did Blaine swallow any? Sebastian doesn’t actually know. His view had been more than obscured when Blaine jumped in the way, but Sebastian remembers afterwards: watching Blaine scream as the slushie quickly melted around him, staining the surrounding concrete a menacing dark grey. It had looked like blood, if only for a moment. What if it actually had been?

“He’ll be _ fine_.” Thad says firmly, but even Sebastian can pick up on the waver in his voice.

After that, Jeff quickly changes the subject, bringing up his recent soccer match - Sebastian almost envies him for participating in a fall sport, but while the wait for the lacrosse season to start may be a touch excruciating, it at least doesn’t overlap with the Warblers’ competitive season. The idea of having to choose between the two activities is not one that Sebastian’s particularly jealous of.

The subject change works well enough, even if Nick and Thad are a touch too-somber to keep up with the usual banter. Sebastian’s honestly surprised that Nick’s even occupying the same space as him still, so he doesn’t push the two of them _ too _ hard.

When the warning bell goes, Nick and Thad are quick to say their goodbyes and depart to their next classes but Jeff hangs back and, when the door swings shut after the other two, asks, “Do you think we’ll be able to see Blaine?”

“I don’t think so, sunflower.” Sebastian tells him, shoulders slumping. He’s been wondering the same thing since Johnson told him about Blaine needing surgery, but he’s pretty sure that there’s no way Blaine’s going to want to see them. “You might have to wait until he’s recovered to try and talk to him.”

“It wasn’t meant to be like this, Bas.”

Sebastian smiles grimly. “I know. We’ll figure it out.”

_ -ss- _

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Unknown Number**  
_ warblers still practice on thursdays right? _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Unknown Number**  
_ who the fuck is this? _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Unknown Number**  
_ UHHHHH how abt you answer the question _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Unknown Number**  
_ ...yes? _

_ -ss- _

“Hey, Andrew McCarthy!”

In hindsight, Sebastian probably should’ve expected this.

Fuck if he knows why Lopez has suddenly decided that Blaine’s her new best friend, but he has to give her one thing: she’s certainly loyal. Of course, Sebastian already knew this in some capacity: New Directions as a whole are _ incredibly _ loyal, it’s the only reason why they’ve lasted this long without imploding. It’s just that Sebastian wasn’t quite expecting the same loyalty to be extended to Blaine, not after a certain confession.

_ What the fuck, B? You do belong. Why couldn’t you see that? _

“Don’t know if you heard, but Blaine may lose an eye.” Lopez continues, striding across the room. A soft gasp ripples up behind Sebastian and while he doesn’t take any pleasure in his Warblers being blindsided, he’s glad that Jeff, Nick and Thad didn’t go around blabbing Blaine’s private business to everyone. “The very same Blaine that was besties with most of you, not _ four months ago_.”

“Wait, are you serious?” Trent questions, voice shrill. “Is he gonna be okay?”

“Huh,” Lopez hums, tilting her head in Trent’s direction as she eyes him warily. “Don’t think you get to know that, Super Size Me.”

“_Lopez_.” Sebastian barks, narrowing his eyes at her. “Shut it. Trent, I got this.”

Sebastian wonders if Santana would’ve told Trent the truth if she could actually place him as having nothing to do with the slushie-incident, but he finds himself doubting it - he mightn’t know her well, but he recognises something in her, something that rings a little too true to _ him _. Sebastian wouldn’t tell any member of New Directions shit if they sent one of his Warblers to the emergency room, so he suspects Santana’s on a similar page.

“Bummer about Blaine,” he comments after a beat, feigning nonchalance. Based on Santana’s raised brow, he wonders if he’s failing. Or maybe she recognises something in him, too. “He was pretty. He shouldn’t have gotten in the way though, that slushie was meant for Kurt.”

“You think that makes it _ better_?” Lopez asks, a touch incredulously. “I know you’re new here, chipmunk- but all your little buddies should remember when Kurt transferred.” Jeff, at Sebastian’s side, slumps at that. “He came to Dalton to get _ away _ from a scared little boy threatening his life. You just became what you supposedly saved him from.”

As much shit as Sebastian likes to give Blaine about failing to keep his mouth shut most of the time, the kid apparently has a lot of secrets. It makes Sebastian uncomfortable. 

(He’s not sure why. He has more skeletons in his closet than he’ll ever be able to count, it’s not like he can judge Blaine for this of all things.)

“Are you making a point or just talking my ear off?”

Lopez snorts. “You may look like the villain out of a cheesy 80s high school movie,” and Sebastian finds himself grinning. Lopez mightn’t be as vicious as everyone wants her to be, but she’s _ quick_. Witty, too. In another life, the two of them would’ve been great friends. “But you should know that I am _ fully _ prepared to go all Danny Larusso on your ass.”

Interesting mental image.

“Admit you put something in that slushie,” Lopez prompts, stepping into Sebastian’s personal space. Their height difference isn’t quite as severe as Sebastian was expecting, but he thinks he’ll blame that on her heels. “What was it, huh? Glass? Asphalt?”

“Red dye number six.” Sebastian answers pseudo-earnestly, but he finds himself questioning if he should tell her the truth. Nick generally knows his shit and- what _ if _ Blaine did end up swallowing a little too much rock salt? The doctors should know about that, right? Nick didn’t get into details as far as the side-effects went, but he’d looked a little too haunted for Sebastian to just ignore it. 

It’s been over twenty four hours though and Sebastian’s hesitantly sure that if Blaine was going to suffer some further consequences of the slushie, it would’ve happened already. Santana’s probably the one person who could actually prove that Sebastian had nothing to do with the rock salt itself anyway, since she was the one he was dancing with during most of the number. Best not.

“You’re a _ liar_.”

Sebastian glances over his shoulder at the few Warblers who actually showed up for practice today, but mostly focuses on Jeff who’s finally looking the tiniest bit unsure. Thank God. Sebastian wasn’t sure what to do with a Jeff who had his shit together while everyone else was struggling. “She questioned my honor.” he quips lightly, grinning when Jeff huffs out a laugh. 

“Well, you know what that means,” Jeff says, stepping up between the two of them. Lopez is glaring at him, but Jeff pays her no mind. Sebastian’s oddly proud of him. “You have to settle this. In Warbler tradition.”

“What?”

“We have to duel. Musically.” Sebastian clarifies, grin growing when Santana stares back at him, clearly bewildered.

“Let me get this straight, you wanna have a _ duel _ ? In song form?” she repeats slowly. “And I thought _ we _ sang too much. Jesus.”

“Warblers, clear out. I don’t want you to see me make a girl cry.”

_ -ss- _

_ You were struck down, it was your doom. _

Sebastian tries not to flinch at the echo of Blaine’s screams. He’s not sure he succeeds.

_ -ss- _

_ Smooth Criminal _ is certainly something. Sebastian will _ never _ admit it out loud, but Santana’s incredible to perform with, both vocally and physically - if he were a lesser person, he’s sure he’d be intimidated at the prospect that they’ll be performing against one another in less than a month.

Instead, Sebastian finds himself rather excited to come face to face with Santana at regionals. Easy victories are a waste of his time, he’d rather have worthy opponents that’ll put up one hell of a fight before inevitably losing.

Unfortunately, he can’t say that he believes that Schuester’s gonna get his shit together and give anyone but Berry a full-fledged solo so... maybe Sebastian’ll try pissing her off later in the year to get her to come back for round two. She might even bring Blaine along.

“I was _ better_!”

Oh. Right.

Sebastian schools his features into something resembling smugness, smirking down at Santana. “You weren’t even close.”

As he turns away from Santana to leave the room, he sees that Jeff’s returned, alone. _ What the fuck? _ he wants to ask, but he’s not in on Jeff-and-Nick’s weird best friend telepathy thing and asking it out loud is definitely going to give Lopez some ideas, so Sebastian just walks toward him with a raised brow, frowning when Jeff simply grins at him in return.

“Screw this, listen to me-” Santana says, quickly following after Sebastian and halting his walk with a too-tight grip on his bicep. “Shit-for-brains, I know how you feel about that Blaine.”

“Huh?” Sebastian asks before he can stop himself. 

“You wanna shove your dick in him, whatever. I get it. He’s cute, if you’re into geriatrics.” Santana remarks, tugging harshly at Sebastian’s bicep until he turns around to face her. Sebastian’s more than a little horrified to note that it’s _ Santana _ who’s looking smug now, a serene smile on her face as she looks up at him, eyes painfully alert.

So she _ did _ recognise something in him. Interesting.

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.” Sebastian informs her with a shrug. “I barely even know him and _ honestly_, those bowties? Major boner killer.”

Santana might’ve decided that she and Blaine are suddenly besties, but Sebastian doubts Blaine went around talking about their friendship - he might have to field questions from Jeff about this later, but dealing with Jeff on this matter is infinitely better than dealing with Lopez.

“Uh-huh, sure.” Santana hums, still smiling. “And you were going to throw that slushie at his boyfriend _ why_? I know Hummel’s annoying and all, but we both know that was no ordinary slushie.”

Before Sebastian can reply, something distinctly cold is being placed into his free hand. When he tries to get a firmer grip on it, he finds that someone- Jeff, probably- has put a cup in his hand. What? _ Oh_. A slushie. Okay.

“So what was in it?” Lopez presses, leaning in even closer to him.

“Rock salt.” Sebastian answers finally, shaking his arm free when Santana’s grip unexpectedly loosens. “But it’s okay.”

“Why is that okay?! I just told you that Blaine had to have _ surgery_!”

There’s a million things Sebastian wants to say to that - _ thanks for reminding me _ ; _ thanks for caring about him _ ; _ thanks for fighting for him _ but instead he smirks at her, comforted by Jeff’s presence at his side. “It’s okay because I didn’t put anything in this one.”

(He hopes not, at least.)

Santana doesn’t get a chance to ask the obvious _ what the fuck _ because Sebastian tosses the slushie at her, grinning wickedly at her indignant _ hmpf_.

_ -ss- _

Sebastian leaves Santana stewing in her own rage, figuring that she’ll eventually make her way out to try and salvage her outfit. Jeff follows without much preamble but as soon as the door shuts on the rehearsal space he says, “You wanna do Blaine, huh.”

It’s not even a question. Jeff says it as pure fact. Sebastian wants to hit him for it.

“No.”

“You _ do _ ! Nick said you _ did _ just last week, but I thought he was just being stupid-”

“He _ was_, Jeff-”

“No! No way!”

Sebastian sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose. Having the Warblers think his feelings for Blaine are purely physical isn’t his best case scenario, but there’s also no known way of changing Jeff’s mind when he has his heart set on something.

“Fine, I wanna do Blanderson.” he concedes, ignoring Jeff’s grin in his peripheral vision. “I also want to do ninety-nine percent of the gay population of Ohio, sunflower. Why is this a thing for you?”

The remaining 1% does indeed include Kurt Hummel, surprising no one.

“You wanna do him with _ feelings_.” Jeff insists, laughing delightedly when Sebastian groans. “Nick’s gonna _ flip his shit_-”

“You’re not _ telling Duval_-”

But Jeff apparently doesn’t give a shit what Sebastian has to say, since he claps Sebastian on the shoulder once before practically sprinting off in the other direction, towards the dorms. 

“_Ugh_.”

_ -ss- _

So here’s where Sebastian’s at: his best friend is in hospital because of his stupid prank, his other friends probably know that Sebastian has some vague _ feelings _ for said-best friend and Santana Lopez definitely wants to string him up by his testicles. Oh, and Jeff Sterling is apparently Dalton’s master of pranks.

All in all, it’s been an interesting week.

It’s not even over yet.

In some distant way, Sebastian wishes it was. Between school, trying to smooth things over with the Warblers and working to anticipate any retaliation the New Directions may send against him, he’s feeling more than a little strung out. If it were any other week, tonight is when he’d call Blaine, ask him out to Scandals and when he inevitably said no, Sebastian would settle for some vaguely-flirty texts until Blaine picked up on his vibe and told him to back off. 

That’s not really an option tonight. The thought makes his stomach twist.

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Jack *Scandals BT**  
_ people were asking for your boy last night _

Oh, God. Was it only last Wednesday Blaine finally agreed to go back to Scandals with him? With- well, _ everything _ that’s happened this week, Sebastian had completely forgotten. 

“_Now there's no more Gypsy, no more Joe, there's just me,_” Sebastian sings softly, wishing he had a drink to pour out in memory of Blaine. Or maybe in memory of everything last night could’ve been. 

Well, this is just getting depressing now.

**<<<TEXT SENT: Jack *Scandals BT**  
_ he isn’t my boy. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Jack *Scandals BT**  
_ ouch _ _  
_ _ i’ll give you a few free drinks next time you’re in? _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Jack *Scandals BT**  
_ sounds good. _

At least this whole mess has been good for something.

_ -ss- _

Sebastian’s Friday starts like this:

It’s early, far too early; Jon’s alarm is going off and since Jon is a _ freak_, Jon has morning showers so naturally has his alarm set to go ridiculously early.

Sebastian can usually sleep through it, but this morning proves an exception. Actually, he thinks he might wake _ just _ before Jon’s alarm starts. He can’t really be sure- everything’s sort of blurring together and he can’t quite hear anything over the roaring in his ears.

What he does know is this: Sebastian’s fucking _ terrified_.

“Dude?” he thinks he hears Jon say distantly, but fuck if Sebastian can be sure of anything right now. He’s never been unsure if he can trust himself before and he hopes it never happens again because holy _ fuck_, this is awful-

“Hey Sebastian, just breathe with me.” That’s definitely Jon now, and Sebastian feels Jon take his hand and place it against his own chest. Sebastian wants to tell Jon he’s being _ real fucking gay _ right now, but the words knot themselves in his throat and Sebastian’s choking before he can even try and make sense of what the fuck Jon’s doing right now-

“You’re really not into making shit easier on yourself, are you?” Jon observes amusedly, thumping Sebastian on the back a few times until Sebastian can feel his throat clearing back up. “Now come on Smythe, _ breathe_.”

So Sebastian _ breathes_. Slowly, he feels himself settling - the room comes into focus around him and Jon, and eventually Jon does too. Sebastian’s hand falls when that happens but only because he can fully appreciate just how _ gay _ this whole thing really is and no matter how straight Jon claims to be, Sebastian’s not having this sort of shit happen with his roommate. That’s a line even he won’t cross.

“You good?” Jon asks then, peering concernedly at Sebastian. It makes him more than a little uncomfortable.

“You know what the fuck that was?” Sebastian asks in return because no fucking way is he having a conversation about _ feelings _ with Jon.

“A panic attack.” Jon answers dutifully, wisely dropping his previous question. Maybe he isn’t such a freak. “Brought on by a nightmare, I’m pretty sure. Boyfriend problems?” Okay, fine. He’s still a total freak.

“You think I had a _ panic attack_?” Sebastian tries to clarify, squinting suspiciously at Jon. Did Nick set this up? No, it _ has _ to be Jeff. That asshole. “And a _ nightmare_? You’re crazy, Matthewson.”

“I just call it like I see it.”

“Yeah? Well, you need _ glasses_.”

_ -ss- _

**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Santana Lopez**  
_ be @ mckinley @ 5 tonight _ _  
_ _ bring ur minions _  
**<<<TEXT SENT: Santana Lopez**  
_ see you there. _

Despite himself, Sebastian finds himself missing Blaine’s porno vibes.

_ -ss- _

“The scary one texted you?” Thad asks during business, instead of working on their proposal. _ Ugh _ . High school students? Sebastian’s coming to the realisation that they _ all _ suck. 

“Santana, and yes.” Sebastian answers, barely looking up from his outline - Mrs. Richmond _ will _ castrate him if he spends another class talking shit with Thad, she’s been very clear about that. “No, I don’t know what she wants. Do your fucking work, Thad.”

Thad pokes him in the shoulder, obviously trying to get Sebastian to pay attention to him. No dice, Harwood. “I’ve already planned to do it on our way out to Lima tonight, Sebastian. Now _ come on_, what do you think she wants?”

Sebastian continues on with fleshing out the details of his outline, rolling his eyes as Thad continues on, “It’s going to be a surprise performance, isn’t it? It _ has _ to be. That’s the New Directions way! What do you think they’ll sing?”

_ Something stupid and barely relevant, but they’ll act as if they’ve found the perfect song to stick it to me. _

“I have to admit, I’m a little excited. I do wish it were under better circumstances, but... we’ll have to make due. Aren’t you looking forward to it, too?”

In all honesty, Sebastian isn’t sure. He _ wants _ to be looking forward to it- New Directions are undoubtedly their biggest competition at Regionals and any and all extra intel would be much appreciated- but there’s something stopping him. He tells himself it’s just nerves, even if he knows better than anyone that Sebastian Smythe doesn’t get _ nervous_. Especially not over a bunch of public schoolers.

“Yeah,” Sebastian says anyway, mouth too-dry. “Totally excited.”

Thankfully, Thad drops the subject after that and goes back to working on the assignment, though Sebastian’s sure that Thad’s sudden rededication to the class is more due to Mrs. Richmond openly glaring at them from across the classroom than any genuine desire to work.

Towards the end of class, Thad leans back over Sebastian’s side of their table and asks, “So... uh, excuse me for asking, but how _ are _ you actually? We haven’t really had the chance to speak since... since what happened Wednesday night.”

Sebastian pointedly doesn’t look up from his work, barely resisting the desire to eye-roll. No fucking _ way _ is he having this conversation in the middle of class.

Actually, no fucking _ way _ is he having this conversation. Period.

Thad sighs. “You know as well as I do that it was an accident, Sebastian.”

“Why do you think I’m blaming myself?” Sebastian snaps, looking up at Thad and grimacing at his concerned expression. “Listen, Harwood, I appreciate your support-” _ not. _ “-but I’m fine. Just... focus on your fucking shit, alright? Richmond _ will _ murder us if we give her enough reason.”

Thad reluctantly returns to his side of the table, though not without rubbing Sebastian’s shoulder. When he’s occupied with his work, Sebastian lets out a breath; he’s not super sure when Thad became more of a friend than simply an ally, but it’s really pissing him off right now. For a moment, he wishes that David will return earlier than Monday - at least there’d be _ some _ balance. As it is, Sebastian’s feeling vaguely suffocated by Jeff and Thad’s concern and completely uncomfortable due to most of the other Warblers ignoring him. Nick’s the one notable exception to that, but there’s certainly a distance between he and Sebastian that wasn’t there before.

Sebastian wants to miss life before Blaine. Things were so much easier then.

_ -ss- _

“Monsieur Smythe.”

Sebastian actually likes Mademoiselle Beaumont, despite himself. He _ wants _ to hate her - her fragmented English and strong French accent remind him far too much of his own mother - but she’s a surprisingly capable teacher and clearly cares a lot about her students.

But today, Sebastian just... can’t quite handle the similarities between her and his mother. His brain’s already frazzled from his trainwreck of a wake-up this morning, and he has the trip to McKinley to worry about, too. French, while a subject he finds incredibly easy due to his fluency, is usually one of his favorite classes - he should’ve known that Mademoiselle would notice him being off.

“Sebastian, are you okay?”

Why do people keep asking him that?

Of course Sebastian’s okay. It’s not like he’s the one in hospital, awaiting a surgery which his vision probably depends on. Maybe Sebastian has had a nightmare or two, and maybe Jon’s convinced he’s suddenly emulating Nick Duval best he can and having panic attacks of his own, but _ fuck it all_. He’s fine. 

Mademoiselle doesn’t get the memo, apparently.

“Nicholas,” she says softly, meaning Sebastian barely hears her over the blood rushing in his ears. “Would you mind taking Monsieur Smythe for a walk? Just a short one.”

_ Don’t you get sick of us Warblers? _Sebastian wants to ask but predictably, can’t make his mouth form the words. 

“Sure.” Nick responds after a few moments, twisting to face Sebastian. “Jesus, Sebastian. You look awful. Come on.”

Sebastian squints at Nick, trying to find some ulterior motive for the gentle tone in his voice but disappointedly finds none, so he settles with a blunt, “Fuck off, Duval.”

Nick somewhat predictably doesn’t rise to the bait, just raises his brows as he stands up from his seat. “Come on, man. We’ve still got _ hours _ until they day’s done.”

“I-...” Sebastian _ wants _ to protest, but he’s so fucking tired. He settles for a sigh as he stands, ignoring Mademoiselle Beaumont’s concerned stare as he follows Nick outside of the classroom.

To his credit, Nick doesn’t immediately bombard him with questions as soon as the door to the classroom shuts behind them. They walk in silence for a while, Nick walking leisurely to keep up with Sebastian’s snail pace.

“Didn’t sleep well?” Nick asks eventually, worry clear in his tone. 

Sebastian almost lies but quickly thinks better of it. Nick mightn’t be happy with him, but Sebastian genuinely has enjoyed Nick’s friendship the past few weeks, even if he’ll never admit it out loud - surely he can be honest with Nick, can’t he? “Had a nightmare. Rough wake up. You know how it is.”

Nick hums in agreement. “Rough how?”

“Irrelevant.” Sebastian tells him, waving his hand dismissively. “You get the text about McKinley?”

“Of course. Do... Blaine, he won’t be there. Right?”

“I wouldn’t imagine so, no.”

Nick visibly struggles with his next words, before he seemingly gives up with a heavy sigh. “Was he what you had a nightmare about? Jeff... he told me what Santana said, about you- having feelings for him.”

_ She said I wanted to stick my dick in him, but semantics_.

Sebastian’s... not sure what to do here. He might _ want _ to be honest with Nick, but Blaine- he’s different. Talking about him feels oddly personal and Sebastian’s not entirely comfortable doing it right now. Perhaps ever.

Also, thinking about Blaine too long these past two days usually results in the echo of his screams crashing around in Sebastian’s mind. No thanks.

“Just spooked me, is all.” Sebastian offers eventually. It’s not strictly a lie, but it’s certainly not the whole truth either. It’s the best he can do. “I’ll be fine, planning on heading out to Scandals after the McKinley bullshit, so.”

Nick eyes him warily, but at least doesn’t say anything on how Sebastian very poorly avoided the question. Instead, he stops walking and waits until Sebastian’s stopped and facing him until he speaks, “You _ know _ I’m not happy with you, but... whatever happens at McKinley, I’ll be on your side.”

“Good.” Sebastian says. Maybe the Warblers will always hold what happened Wednesday night against him, but Sebastian’s pretty sure he can live with that as long as they’ll play happy show choir in front of their competition. “I _ knew _ I kept you around for a reason, Duval.”

Nick smiles. “Sure. Ready to head back?”

Sebastian pretends not to notice just how tight Nick’s smile looks.

_ -ss- _

At the end of the school day, the Warblers head out to Lima - Sebastian finds himself in a car with Jeff, Nick and Skylar. He was meant to be going with Thad, but Trent had somehow ended up in Thad’s car too and no fucking _ way _ was Sebastian suffering through that drive.

As far as second resorts go, this car was definitely Sebastian’s best bet - any and all interactions he’d had with Nick since the parking garage have certainly been strained, but at least he hadn’t frozen Sebastian out like the other Warblers. Jeff has obviously been on side, and Skylar’s too new to really understand why the senior Warblers are so upset about what happened. 

Except, well. Skylar is the one freshman that Sebastian actually likes, of _ course _ the kid wants to understand what has his brother’s so up-in-arms.

Maybe halfway through the trip, Skylar asks, “So... who _ is _ this guy exactly?”

“Blaine?” Jeff clarifies, twisting around in the passenger seat to look at Skylar who nods. “He was a Warbler last year. Our lead soloist, actually - he’s a seriously great guy, he and Nick are still really close. I mean, we’re still friends too, but Blaine’s friends with _ everyone_.” Sebastian wants to ask if the present tense is really fitting anymore, but even he knows that the question hits a sensitive spot. “Anyway, he- uh... you’ve probably heard us talking about how our old soloist transferred out like, the _ week _ before classes started up this year - that’s Blaine.”

“Why did he transfer?”

Jeff sighs as he slumps down in his seat, turning back around so he’s looking out the window. “Did you see the guy Sebastian was trying to hit with the slushie?” Skylar shrugs, which- is valid, since Beatbox and Trent immediately jumped into mother-hen mode after Blaine went down. “Well, it was Blaine’s boyfriend, Kurt. Kurt went to Dalton for just a little over two months. He transferred back to McKinley after we lost at Regionals. Then Blaine transferred and we all figured that Kurt had something to do with it so there was... uh, a little bad blood.”

Nick snorts. “Bad blood might be an understatement.”

“Or maybe we just overreacted.” Jeff retorts. “Actually, it’s probably both.”

Sebastian concedes that Jeff might be on the money with that one - even if Sebastian hadn’t come along with own agenda against Kurt, he’s pretty sure that eventually the Warblers (okay, maybe just Jeff) would’ve snapped and tried to carry out a prank of their own against the guy. 

(Maybe Blaine wouldn’t have gotten in the way of that one-)

“You _ meant _ to put him in the hospital?!” Skylar asks, looking horrified. 

“Don’t know if you noticed,” Sebastian interjects, knowing full-well that Jeff’s not entirely capable of answering Skylar’s question without incriminating himself. “But I was aiming for _ Kurt_, who’s a good few inches taller than Blaine. I was aiming for his chest- rock salt, that’s what was in the slushie, is meant to make stains stick more."

“And when Blaine jumped...” Skylar trails off. He looks thoughtful. “Huh. Okay. I’m very sorry for accusing you.”

“All good, Sky. Don’t stress.” Jeff waves his worries away. “We get it. We... we know that this doesn’t look good.”

“Have... has anything _ happened_?” 

Sebastian meets Nick’s gaze in the rear-view mirror, unsurprised by the hard set of Nick’s jaw. If Sebastian was pissed off by the dean’s lack of action, he can only imagine how someone like Nick feels.

“Not yet.” Sebastian answers eventually, breaking his and Nick’s eye contact. “Dean J mentioned they’re opening up an investigation next week, but... it really all depends on if the Anderson’s want to press charges or not.”

“Let’s hope for your sake that they won’t.” Skylar concludes eventually, before he turns away to glance out the window, effectively ending the conversation.

Something uncomfortable churns in Sebastian’s gut at that. He _ knows _ Skylar is right, knows his future depends on the Anderson’s not pursuing legal justice for what Sebastian mistakenly did to their son, but... 

Blaine deserves justice. Doesn’t he?

_ -ss- _

“Hey, Irish.”

Of all the New Directioners to meet them at the front entrance to McKinley, Sebastian really hadn’t considered the exchange student as an option. At least the kid literally looks three seconds away from pissing himself, so Sebastian’s pretty sure that he didn’t even consider himself an option either. 

“I’m meant to take you through to the auditorium.” Rory says too quickly, words nigh-impossible to decipher due to his heavy accent. 

“Lead the way.” Sebastian tells him, not the least bit surprised when Rory doesn’t say anything and simply turns around and starts walking into the school, presumably through to the theater. 

It’s a short walk, at least.

“Just through the curtain.” Rory informs the Warblers, before taking off down a side-set of stairs without another word.

Thad laughs softly under his breath as they watch him go, commenting, “What a strange boy.” before he schools his features into something more serious, looking concernedly up at Sebastian. “Are you ready for this?”

_ No_. “Yep. Let’s go, Warblers.”

Sebastian pulls the curtains open, barely restraining the need to hold back a snicker at the sight of the New Directions all gathered upon the stage. 

“Nice of you to show.” Abrams greets. Even from a distance, Sebastian can see how white his knuckles are, no doubt because of his incredibly tight grip on his wheels - maybe Sebastian underestimated how much Artie actually cares about his _ West Side _ cast.

(Or maybe Blaine underestimated how much he actually matters to these public school freaks, but Sebastian’s been getting that vibe for a while now.)

“Is... whatever this is gonna take long?” Sebastian asks, idly surveying the students in front of them. They all look some variation of angry, which he finds himself appreciating - Santana looks a little too _ knowing _ for Sebastian’s taste, but he doesn’t see that reflected on anyone else. He almost wants to thank her for keeping her mouth shut but knows that she’s waiting for the perfect moment to reveal his... fondness for Blaine. “I can’t stand the stench of public schools.”

Fabray scoffs. “It won’t take long, and all you have to do is _ sit and listen _. It’s the least you can do, if you ask me.” The thinly-veiled reference to Blaine’s accident makes most of the other Warblers get moving as they scramble towards the seats closest to the stage. Sebastian takes his time walking to his seat, Jeff and Thad by his side. Hummel’s heatedly glaring in their direction so Sebastian grins back at him, then snorts when Jeff fires off finger-guns at Kurt. 

When the Warblers are all settled, Abrams rolls out to the edge of the stage, glancing down at them with a vague glare. All of New Directions are standing behind him, fanning out into a uniform v-shape behind him. Looks like they had the same idea of appearing as a single unit. _ Well_. That’s interesting. Then Abrams speaks, “We’re not doing Michael for Regionals.”

Sebastian raises a brow, tilting his head thoughtfully. “I didn’t think you’d surrender that easily.” He’s genuine in that, too - thought that Wednesday’s accident would power New Directions and their unique need for vengeance against everyone who’s ever wronged them (he’s heard about Jesse St. James, of course) but then-

God. They _ are _ going to sing.

Mostly resigned to his fate, Sebastian settles back in his seat, head cocked in Hummel’s direction as the boy speaks, “We’re tired of the fighting and the backstabbing. We’re show choirs, we’re supposed to be supportive of each other.”

Thad sits a little straighter at that, looking at Kurt curiously. Sebastian might not know the ins-and-outs of show choir, but the culture around it seems... pretty competitive. Where the fuck is Hummel pulling this from? His ass?

“This is what we call taking the high road,” Puckerman continues, but Sebastian can’t help but notice he seems more reserved than usual. Does he not agree with how New Directions are approaching this? Huh. “Which I was _ shocked _ to learn had nothing to do with marijuana.” _ There he is_.

“Just because you’re doing Michael doesn’t mean you _ understand _ Michael.” Artie concludes.

“And you do?” Sebastian asks, hoping his amusement comes across as disbelief.

“Yes,” Jones answers. “And we’re about to show you.” 

_ -ss- _

Sebastian could say many, many things about _ Black or White _ and very few of them would be kind.

But he appreciates that stretch of the song where it’s Abrams, Berry, Hummel and Santana standing front and center. It harkens back to the beginning of the week, to the four of them and Blaine discussing childhood memories of Michael Jackson in the Lima Bean. Simpler times.

(_Don’t tell me you agree with me when I saw you kicking dirt in my eye_-)

_ -ss- _

By the end of the number, most of the Warblers have joined New Directions on stage - Jeff and Thad haven’t left their seats by Sebastian’s side and surprisingly, Nick hasn’t moved either.

Sebastian notices Hummel frantically looking between the three of them and wonders if they’ve all made it onto Hummel’s mental shitlist. Considering Kurt was already on Jeff and Thad’s, he doesn’t count it as too much of a loss.

As New Directions and the gathered Warblers celebrate their performance, Sebastian starts clapping very slowly. Those on stage turn to face him, the younger Warblers all looking rather petrified but honestly, Sebastian doesn’t blame them. They’re just sheep.

Trent, though? Oh _ boy _ is Sebastian going to have fun with him.

“Very moving.” Sebastian comments.

“Come _ on_, Smythe,” Beatbox says, stepping forward and staring down at the four remaining Warblers. “Give it up.”

Sebastian rolls his eyes, mentally adding to his _ Reasons Why I Can’t Trust Beatbox _ list. It’s very long. And annotated. “_That _ is exactly the attitude that lost you Regionals last year.”

Lopez steps out from behind Beatbox, glaring down at Sebastian with a smirk. Sebastian braces himself but then, “I could call the cops or your headmaster and have you kicked out of school or even _ arrested _ for assaulting Blaine with that slushie.”

Puckerman’s standing behind her, buffing himself up and Sebastian has to admit that if New Directions instead went down the road of physical threats, he’d be a _ lot _ more intimidated than he is now.

Because, “All of this would be just... awfully terrifying if you had any proof whatsoever.”

Lopez looks down and Sebastian’s expecting her to admit he’s right, but then she reaches into her pocket and _ what the fuck is she doing_-

After a few seconds, Santana produces an honest-to-God tape. “You mean like you on on tape, admitting to it?”

Jeff and Thad both sit up straight at that and even Nick seems awfully on edge, neck snapping up to look at Santana.

_ What the fuck_.

_ What_.

_ The fuck_.

Sebastian didn’t record any fucking tape-

_ Oh_. Oh. _ Smooth Criminal _ was a fucking play, wasn’t it? How did he not- _ fuck_.

Santana Lopez is holding his entire fucking future between chipped nails and Sebastian has no idea how the _ fuck _ he’s going to fix this.

Lopez’ face splits into a grin at Sebastian’s speechlessness and slowly, all the other New Directions mirror her smile.

Sans Hummel, who plucks the tape from Santana’s hand and looks down at Sebastian thoughtfully. Then he says, “But you know what? It just wouldn’t be as much fun winning Regionals if you weren’t there to suffer through all the agony of defeat.”

Kurt throws the tape down towards Sebastian, but Jeff’s the one to catch it - Kurt’s aim is a little off but more importantly, Sebastian’s too interested in how everyone’s smiles seem to have fallen at Hummel’s declaration. Interestingly, Lopez and Puckerman are staring at Hummel like he’s lost his mind, which… yeah. Sebastian agrees. 

Blaine agreed to this. Didn’t he? He had to have- Hummel wouldn’t do it otherwise. But it’s just… Sebastian isn’t exactly privy to Blaine’s recovery process, but he doubts that Blaine is well enough to consent to something like this. Even if Blaine has already had his surgery, he’d need time to recover. Right? 

But- the alternative is that… _ fuck_. Fuck. 

Sebastian stares down at the tape in Jeff’s hand, watching as Jeff’s grip tightens as time steadily ticks past. At least Sebastian isn’t the only one angry about this.

Someone finally breaks the silence and Sebastian finally looks back up towards the stage, noticing that it’s Lopez. “At least _ most _ of your teammates know exactly what kind of guy you are.”

“Now get the fuck out of our auditorium.” Puckerman proclaims, shoving a few of the Warblers towards the edge of the stage. “School’s out, suckers!”

_ -ss- _

Nick drops Sebastian off at Scandals, with a promise to return if Sebastian isn’t back in his dorm by midnight and _ honestly_, what a mood killer.

His mother’s in fucking France. Sebastian doesn’t need a stand-in, fuck you very much.

In all honesty, Sebastian has no plans to be back in his dorm by midnight _ tomorrow_, let alone tonight, but telling Nick as much would probably land him with a chaperone and that’s the last thing he wants.

So Sebastian promises to be home early and as Nick’s car peels out of the car park, sends Jeff a text.

**<<<TEXT SENT: Sunflower**  
_ make sure nick doesn’t come back tonight. _  
**>>>TEXT RECEIVED: Sunflower**  
_ you got it captain _ _  
_ _ have a good night !!! _

And Sebastian does. Have a good night, that is- but there’s one interaction he can’t quite shake, and it’s early enough in the night that he’ll recall it with perfect clarity the rest of his life.

He’s fucking around on the jukebox, steadfastly ignoring all the Dolly Parton songs when he feels someone leaning over him. Not too close, which is disappointing, but Sebastian knows how to handle shy guys.

“So… uh, how do you get a guy to like you?”

Sebastian glances to his right, brows furrowing when he finds a _ vaguely _ familiar face. Probably a regular at the club. Brushing it off, Sebastian snorts. “You mean, how do _ you _ get a guy to like _ you_?” he clarifies, then scoffs when the guy nods, “_Please._”

It’s not like there’s anything wrong with this guy - he’s too much of a bear for Sebastian’s tastes, but there’s certainly one hell of an audience for him. It’s just- he’s still sporting over _ everything _ from the past week and hell if he doesn’t want to make someone else hurt too. It’s not like this guy is going to take him seriously, anyway. Sebastian knows his own reputation pretty well.

“Why?”

Sebastian considers the question as he stands up to his full height, scrutinizing the dude as he tries to figure out why he seems so familiar. It has to be something more than just seeing each other at Scandals, right? Oh, fuck it.

“What’s wrong with me?” the guy continues, something a little desperate in his voice.

“First off, you are about a hundred pounds overweight. Quit waxing your eyebrows, you look like Liberace. In fact, just… stay in the closet, buddy.” 

Sebastian slaps him on the arm with a brief smile before turning away and walking toward the dancefloor, resolving to himself to forget that depressing conversation as soon as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished this chapter a year ago, and the next chapter has a grand total of about 2,000 words - I'm not sure if I'll ever get back to it, but if I don't, thank you all so much for everything. This story reminded me how much I've always genuinely enjoyed writing, and it's given me a lot. If I do, it'll still be a while: stay golden, pony boys. See you in the next life.


End file.
